# 1232 - 1963 5c West Virginia Statehood
West Virginia Becomes 35th State
A group of Indians known as the Mound Builders were the earliest-known inhabitants of West Virginia. They constructed huge earth burial mounds, many of which still exist today. Later, the Cherokee, Iroquois, and Shawnee tribes arrived in the region. These Woodlands Indians lived in the West Virginia area during the summer, and then moved back into the northeast as winter approached. Many of the Indians in West Virginia were killed during tribal conflicts and through epidemics of smallpox. When Europeans arrived in the region, they found it sparsely populated.
King James I granted the colony of Virginia to the Virginia Company of London in 1606. Virginia was defined as running from South Carolina to Virginia, and extending westward and northwestward indefinitely. A German doctor and explorer, John Lederer, was probably the first Virginian to enter today’s West Virginia. His expedition reached the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1669. Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam led another expedition into the area in 1671.
Indians frequently attacked these remote communities. The settlers built blockhouses and forts to protect themselves. These centralized buildings formed the beginnings of many towns and cities, such as Fort Henry (today’s Wheeling), Fort Lee (today’s Charleston), and Fort Randolph (today’s Point Pleasant). In 1768, the Iroquois and Cherokee signed treaties and relinquished their claims to these lands. By 1775, 30,000 whites lived in West Virginia.
Differences between eastern and western Virginia became even greater during the 1800s. The more affluent, slave-owning eastern majority opposed the public projects of the poorer farmers and industrialists that were proposed in the West. Even the routes of trade were different for the two areas. The eastern portion of the state sent their goods to the Atlantic for transport. In the West, goods were sent to the Mississippi River.
After the Civil War started in South Carolina on April 12, 1861, Virginia formed a state convention to decide which side to join. The convention voted for secession on April 17, 1861. However, most of the counties in the west sided with the Union. These counties declared their independence and formed the Restored Government of Virginia. In August, these counties formed the state of Kanawha, from an Indian word meaning “white stone” – due to the region’s salt deposits. By November, a state constitution was prepared, and the name for the proposed state in this document was West Virginia. In April 1862, the people adopted the Constitution. After submitting the admission application to the federal government, Lincoln approved it, on the condition that they gradually abolish slavery. They revised the constitution and resubmitted it in 1863. President Lincoln approved it, and West Virginia achieved statehood on June 20, 1863.
When West Virginia became a state, it had a population of about 380,000. About 15,000 of these people were slaves. Wheeling served as the state capital, and Arthur I. Boreman became the first governor. The state supplied about 30,000 men for the Union army. About 8,000 men joined the Confederate army. During the early stages of the war, a great deal of fighting took place in West Virginia. After several defeats, the Confederates gave up on trying to hold this territory. However, they did continue to stage raids to steal goods such as food and salt, which were badly needed for the war effort. When the war ended, Virginia asked West Virginia to reunite, but West Virginia refused.
Large numbers of immigrants were hired to work as miners between 1860 and 1920. Wages were very low and working conditions were terrible. These workers attempted to form unions to improve their lot. During the 1920s, labor troubles became heated. Riots erupted many times, and federal troops were used to quiet the uprisings. As a result, the United Mine Workers of America union, which had 45,000 members in 1920, suffered a dramatic decrease in membership. After the National Recovery Administration (NRA) was created in 1933, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, many miners came back to the union. Under this act, miners received better pay, shorter hours, and improved working conditions.
The nationwide oil shortages of the 1970s meant big business for West Virginia’s coalmines. For a time, it seemed the state’s future was secure as a supplier of inexpensive fuel. However, during the 1980s, oil prices dropped, and the coal industry became much less profitable. Nearly a sixth of West Virginia’s population was unemployed. The state’s population was reduced by another 7.5% between 1980 and 1990. Today, state officials are working to attract new industries. New highways have opened parts of the state for development. New focus has been placed in generating manufacturing jobs, service industries, and tourism.
West Virginia Becomes 35th State
A group of Indians known as the Mound Builders were the earliest-known inhabitants of West Virginia. They constructed huge earth burial mounds, many of which still exist today. Later, the Cherokee, Iroquois, and Shawnee tribes arrived in the region. These Woodlands Indians lived in the West Virginia area during the summer, and then moved back into the northeast as winter approached. Many of the Indians in West Virginia were killed during tribal conflicts and through epidemics of smallpox. When Europeans arrived in the region, they found it sparsely populated.
King James I granted the colony of Virginia to the Virginia Company of London in 1606. Virginia was defined as running from South Carolina to Virginia, and extending westward and northwestward indefinitely. A German doctor and explorer, John Lederer, was probably the first Virginian to enter today’s West Virginia. His expedition reached the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1669. Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam led another expedition into the area in 1671.
Indians frequently attacked these remote communities. The settlers built blockhouses and forts to protect themselves. These centralized buildings formed the beginnings of many towns and cities, such as Fort Henry (today’s Wheeling), Fort Lee (today’s Charleston), and Fort Randolph (today’s Point Pleasant). In 1768, the Iroquois and Cherokee signed treaties and relinquished their claims to these lands. By 1775, 30,000 whites lived in West Virginia.
Differences between eastern and western Virginia became even greater during the 1800s. The more affluent, slave-owning eastern majority opposed the public projects of the poorer farmers and industrialists that were proposed in the West. Even the routes of trade were different for the two areas. The eastern portion of the state sent their goods to the Atlantic for transport. In the West, goods were sent to the Mississippi River.
After the Civil War started in South Carolina on April 12, 1861, Virginia formed a state convention to decide which side to join. The convention voted for secession on April 17, 1861. However, most of the counties in the west sided with the Union. These counties declared their independence and formed the Restored Government of Virginia. In August, these counties formed the state of Kanawha, from an Indian word meaning “white stone” – due to the region’s salt deposits. By November, a state constitution was prepared, and the name for the proposed state in this document was West Virginia. In April 1862, the people adopted the Constitution. After submitting the admission application to the federal government, Lincoln approved it, on the condition that they gradually abolish slavery. They revised the constitution and resubmitted it in 1863. President Lincoln approved it, and West Virginia achieved statehood on June 20, 1863.
When West Virginia became a state, it had a population of about 380,000. About 15,000 of these people were slaves. Wheeling served as the state capital, and Arthur I. Boreman became the first governor. The state supplied about 30,000 men for the Union army. About 8,000 men joined the Confederate army. During the early stages of the war, a great deal of fighting took place in West Virginia. After several defeats, the Confederates gave up on trying to hold this territory. However, they did continue to stage raids to steal goods such as food and salt, which were badly needed for the war effort. When the war ended, Virginia asked West Virginia to reunite, but West Virginia refused.
Large numbers of immigrants were hired to work as miners between 1860 and 1920. Wages were very low and working conditions were terrible. These workers attempted to form unions to improve their lot. During the 1920s, labor troubles became heated. Riots erupted many times, and federal troops were used to quiet the uprisings. As a result, the United Mine Workers of America union, which had 45,000 members in 1920, suffered a dramatic decrease in membership. After the National Recovery Administration (NRA) was created in 1933, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, many miners came back to the union. Under this act, miners received better pay, shorter hours, and improved working conditions.
The nationwide oil shortages of the 1970s meant big business for West Virginia’s coalmines. For a time, it seemed the state’s future was secure as a supplier of inexpensive fuel. However, during the 1980s, oil prices dropped, and the coal industry became much less profitable. Nearly a sixth of West Virginia’s population was unemployed. The state’s population was reduced by another 7.5% between 1980 and 1990. Today, state officials are working to attract new industries. New highways have opened parts of the state for development. New focus has been placed in generating manufacturing jobs, service industries, and tourism.