It will be the place where conventions are held that will form a new government for virginia, a government for virginia loyal to the United States and the union. This new government over virginia will then create the new state of West Virginia. Our nation was in the midst of a terrible civil war. Those in eastern virginia, predominantly, were supportive of the confederacy. So, when virginia takes her vote for secession, the last vote on april 17, 1861, the majority of of the virginia delegates will vote to secede from the United States and to join the southern confederacy. Those voters from northwestern virginia, who were overwhelmingly against secession, they would come back to this side of the mountains in West Virginia. They would have mass meetings, public meetings, to decide what northwestern virginia would do and they decided they needed to have a place for a more formal convention and wheeling would be the place rest to have that convention. It would be safe, given that it is th
So there was safety there. So it provided a place for them to meet, to form late a plan and to embark upon one of the most incredible experiments in our American History. And the only successful Secession Movement in American History as well. There were a lot of issues that brought this thing to a head. As i said, it came act over decades. And they had issues to do with taxation and representation. For four western virginians who were not large slave holders like the eastern virginians were, at the beginning of 1861, there were 470,000 slaves in the entire state before dismemberment. And of those 470,000, only approximately 18,000 were in what is now West Virginia. There was the 3 5 rule. It meant slaves counted as 3 5 of a person toward the purposes of representation. If you consider the number, 18,000 in wegs tern virginia. 450,000 in eastern virginia. Gone, the laws of virginia had given an 80 tax break. They would cry foul about this. The number one property. And western virginians
President. She was not looking forward to being first lady. The problem was of course that he died only one month into his presidency and she never made it to washington. In 1836, when john tyler resigned from the United States senate he and his wife letitia and their family moved here to williamsburg. Its right here that Letitia Tyler suffered her stroke in 1839, john tyler learned that he was elected as Vice President to William Henry harrison and its also here in the spring of 1841 where he was informed that he became 10th president of the United States and that Letitia Tyler learned that she became the first lady. She has another terrible stroke and dies and her husband goes into great mourning. And then he meets Julia Gardiner who is this another young lovely in her 20s. Julie, i think of as the madonna, you know, of first ladies. [laughter] she loved publicity. She had actually posed as a model at a time when that was maybe, say, frowned upon but all accounts was bewitching. Juli
William henry harrison. In the spring of 1841 he was informed to became the 10th president of the United States. Leticia tyler learned that she became the first lady. She has another terrible stroke and her husband goes into great morning. Mourning. And then he meets another young lovely in her 20s. Julia was the madonna of first ladies. She loved publicity. She had posed as a model at a time when that was frowned upon. By all accounts was bewitching. Petunia was flourished. She had almost 90 slaves. Julia was loving and supportive him tremendously and everything that she did. Untimely deaths, a secret marriage, and outside personalities are part of the stories of the three women featured in our program tonight. As the political system grapples with the first time a Vice President steps into the office of the presidency, and sectional differences continue to grow in the country. Good evening, and welcome to first tonight, the election of 1840, ringing William Henry harrison and to offi
A joke. E. J. Dionne and ruth conif have the latest on the fight for the middle class. Richard wolffe on another disastrous day for senator john mccain. And first, it was papa johns. Now dennys is serving up a grandstand breakfast on obama care. Good to have you with us tonight. The Republican Party has an identity crisis. Africanamerican and hispanic voters have been told they were bribe by their vote for president obama. This is not a winning message for republicans. Now or in the future. Mitt romney was the big loser for the Republican Party and hes now throwing the gop into turmoil as he rides off into the sunset. Once again, romney was recorded telling his big donors what he really thinks about americans. What the president , president s campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote. Extraordinary financial gifts. Msnbc cant confirm the authentic