Nov 19 at noon: Is West Virginia Legally a State?

Dr. Richard Owens will be at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library on Tuesday, November 19 at noon to offer a different perspective on West Virginia’s statehood by discussing his new book Rogue State: The Unconstitutional Process of Establishing West Virginia Statehood. From the book jacket: “Rogue State chronicles how West Virginia entered—and remains—in the Union under unconstitutional circumstances. Its severance from Virginia and reincorporation as a new state in 1863 occurred outside the bounds of constitutional legality. The United States government, while pledged to prevent the secession of eleven states from the Union, nevertheless condoned, abetted, supported, and ultimately affirmed secession of fifty counties without permission from Virginia. This unprecedented and unconstitutional process marks the only time in American history that a state was created and admitted to the Union outside the boundaries of the prescribed constitutional process. Lincoln’s attorney general even declared the process unconstitutional. Though the U.S. Constitution did not permit secession for states or parts of states, the U.S. government produced a façade of legality and constitutionality in 1863 to justify the secession of a part of one state to form another.”  Dr. Owens is professor of history at West Liberty University. An active teacher and historian, he is the author of several books and numerous articles, including three historical novels: Potomac: A Story of America in 1940 [2012] Knightime, [2006] and Conspiracy of Terror published [2001]. Dr. Owens also served as historian and commentator for a 1993 BBC production, “A Nation Divided: The United States Civil War.” Dr. Owens earned his Ph.D. in U.S. history at the University of Maryland. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Patrons are invited to bring a bag lunch and free beverages are served. Please visit ohiocountylibrary.org, call 304-232-0244, or visit facebook.com/lunchwithbooks for more information.

& at 7 PM: The People's University continues with Ancient Asian Philosophy. Instructors Margarita Delgado and Bhante Pemaratana are both PhD candidates from the University of Pittsburgh.  Mr. Pemaratna is also a monk from Sri Lanka.They will discuss Buddhism, Daoism, and some contemporary practices of both.