Web Site of the Week: Virginia Convention of 1861

VIRGINIA AND THE CRISIS OF UNION  On a fateful day in February 1861, delegates from all of Virginia’s counties met to decide how the state would respond to a number of recent events, including Abraham Lincoln’s election and South Carolina’s secession. Ultimately, they voted to remain in the Union, as there was still hope at that moment that a compromise would be forthcoming. Two months later all of this changed, as the same delegates moved to secede from the United States. This remarkable website from the University of Richmond contains the fully transcribed text of these debates, along with interactive maps, information about the delegates, and a brief primer on the convention. Visitors can use the tools on the right-hand side of the homepage to get started, or they can also use the “Suggested Searches” area to search for words like “war” and “slave”. Also, visitors should not miss the “Data Visualizations”, which include a timeline and a graphic representation of the votes for secession by county. [KMG]

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011.
http://scout.wisc.edu/