UVA graduate students Jesse George-Nichol and Daniel Sunshine participated in a panel titled “The Union Forever: The Virginia Union Movement Beyond the Secession Winter” at the Virginia History Forum, held at Emory & Henry College from March 15-17, 2018.
Jesse’s paper examined the formation of the Constitutional Union Party in Virginia in 1860, focusing on the importance of women in binding the movement together. Daniel’s paper explored the West Virginia statehood movement, looking at the process by which West Virginia Unionists sought to reconcile their Unionism with that of Radical Republicans in Congress. Their panel, presided over by Brent Tarter of the Library of Virginia, delved into dynamic meanings of Unionism in Virginia both before and after the secession crisis.
The Virginia Forum brought together historians, teachers, and historical professionals of all kinds for a two-day conference covering a vast array of Virginia history. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Talmage Stanley, the director of the Appalachian Center for Civic Life at Emory & Henry.