Judge John James Allen

Snow fell lightly that December 10, 1860 afternoon as Judge John James Allen steadied himself for a meeting of Botetourt citizens. The country had been in turmoil since the election of Abraham Lincoln. He was about to try to convince his neighbors that the fledging nation could no longer exist in her present condition.

He was going to urge his beloved state to secede from the Union.

Allen, then President of the Supreme Court of Virginia, wrote the Botetourt Resolutions, a document that outlines states rights issues and urges the Virginia legislature to move to secure equality within the Union or to immediately withdraw. ...

He presented his Resolutions to his fellow citizens in an undocumented general meeting of the people. He was a strong supporter of the southern cause. In A Seed-Bed of the Republic, Robert Douthat Stoner calls the Botetourt Resolutions “a brilliant commentary on Virginia’s position in the impending Civil War.” ...

... After stating his case, Allen stood before his fellow citizens. The statesmen of Botetourt agreed with Allen’s sentiments and when the vote was taken, only two dissenters volunteered their objections. The document was forwarded to the Virginia legislature. ...