"Solidaritet", 1923. Käthe Kollwitz

Image source: Sveriges Radio

Käthe Kollwitz 1867-1945 (LEMO; Lebendiges Museum Online)

Pending the Ordinance / The Ordinance Passed

Image & text source: Union or Secession: Virginians Decide

What were Virginians thinking and discussing as the first Southern states withdrew from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860? Why was Virginia’s decision critical to America’s fate in 1861 and key to the ultimate course and outcome of the sectional crisis?

Virginia was central to American identity for its role in the founding of the United States and its political principles. Both the Confederacy and the Union wanted to claim Virginia’s historical legacy. Union or Secession explores what Virginians thought and debated as the crisis unfolded.