On October 31 the state of West Virginia seceded from the United States because they deeply disagreed with the second American Civil War. The government West Virginia believed that the United States should try and solve the second amendment controversy peacefully without resorting to war. The people of West Virginia said that the first Civil War decimated the United States and lead to discrimination and harassment. As a result, they completely declared independence and became their own Republic. The Republic of West Virginia was also a haven for people who were against the war and people that were escaping from the Republic of Alabama which had re-implementing slavery in order to control their people. The Republic of West Virginia eventually disbanded following the resolution of the second American Civil War. However, the Republic of West Virginia became noted for its peace as accepting nature during the devastating second American Civil War. In 2158 on the hundredth anniversary of the second American Civil War a golden statue was built to commemorate the governor of the Republican West Virginia Jedediah Blackwood. Huntington West Virginia eventually also became home to the religious equality society which was dedicated to protecting the rights of religious minorities in the United States and around the world.