Why Virginia split into two states

Transcript

There are several twin states in America, two Dakotas, two Virginia's, and two Carolinas. Each of these pairs was once united, but interestingly, Virginia's split came down to one thing, slavery. Virginia was the first permanent English colony in North America. It was founded in 1606 and remained in English colony for about 170 years, and then spent another 90 years as part of the United States. But then the Civil War began, which literally split the country into two sides. The North, known as the Union, opposed the expansion of slavery. While the South, the Confederacy, wanted to preserve it as its economy depended heavily on slave labor, especially on vast cotton plantations. Virginia eventually joined the South, and Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy. But the mountainous western counties refused to join the Confederacy. The region was mostly made up of mines and small farms, with far fewer plantations and enslaved people. So its residents saw little reason to fight for slavery. As a result, right in the middle of the war, the western region broke away, formed its own government, and stayed with the Union. And in 1863 became a new state, West Virginia, which remains a US state to this day.

Transcribed automatically from the video, so small errors are possible.