History of West Virginia

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The history of West Virginia stems from the 1861 Wheeling Convention, which was an assembly of northwestern Southern Unionists from northwestern counties of the state of Virginia. They formed the Restored Government of Virginia, which purported to represent the government of the entire state of Virginia but in fact only represented those areas controlled by the Union army. It was recognized as the official government of the state of Virginia by Congress, and it repealed the Ordinance of Secession that Virginia made at the start of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It created West Virginia from the western counties under Union Army control. The new state was formed and recognized by the U.S. Congress on June 20, 1863, and protected by the U.S. Army. The area that comprises West Virginia was originally part of the British Virginia Colony (1607–1776) and the western part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia (1776–1788), and state of Virginia (1788–1863). Western Virginia became sharply...

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