Secession

[KEmperor]

Not being a southerner, that's hard to answer.  I would probably have fought for the Union.

[KEmperor]

I might have ancestors that fought on both sides, I wouldn't know.  I do know that I have ancestors that lived in New York at the time and ancestors that lived in Georgia at the time.

[KEmperor]

Also I must say that the creation of West Virginia was unconstitutional. The constitution says no state can be created out of a state or territory. The reason the western Virginia counties voted to become their own state was because they were threatened by the Union w/an option. Stay with Virginia and you will lose your booming railroad economy. Leave and form your own state and you will be able to keep the railroads and gain Union military support. Since in that time period the Eastern counties (Where the railroads were) far outweighed the west in population the formation of WVA was fairly easy. After the war the Federal govt offered WVA back to Virginia. The Federal govt told Virginia they could have the Western counties back if they paid back all their prewar and war debts or let WVA remain a state and split the debts in half with the new state.

Well, acctually, no.  Though that provision exists in the Constitution, it is basically meaningless.  Vermont was created from New York, Tennessee from North Carolina, Kentucky from Virginia, Maine from Mass. and so on.

Were those states created before or after 1789?

Are you kidding me?  How many states were there when the constitution was signed?  13.

[KEmperor]

Also I must say that the creation of West Virginia was unconstitutional. The constitution says no state can be created out of a state or territory. The reason the western Virginia counties voted to become their own state was because they were threatened by the Union w/an option. Stay with Virginia and you will lose your booming railroad economy. Leave and form your own state and you will be able to keep the railroads and gain Union military support. Since in that time period the Eastern counties (Where the railroads were) far outweighed the west in population the formation of WVA was fairly easy. After the war the Federal govt offered WVA back to Virginia. The Federal govt told Virginia they could have the Western counties back if they paid back all their prewar and war debts or let WVA remain a state and split the debts in half with the new state.

Well, acctually, no.  Though that provision exists in the Constitution, it is basically meaningless.  Vermont was created from New York, Tennessee from North Carolina, Kentucky from Virginia, Maine from Mass. and so on.

Were those states created before or after 1789?

Are you kidding me?  How many states were there when the constitution was signed?  13.

twelve.  

rhode island was very standoffish about the whole thing.  They wouldn't sign it as is, and made a big stink and were eventually threatened with tariffs, etc, if they didn't sign.  In fact, the reason the Bill of Rights was added was to appease the rhode islanders so they'd sign.

Not how many states signed the constitution.  How many states existed.