United States History Student Edition

Seceding States, 1860–1861 Some slaveholding states did not secede from the Union.

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTION 1. Exploring Regions Which states seceded before the attack on Fort Sumter? Which seceded after the attack on Fort Sumter? 2. Spatial Thinking Which side controlled more territory, and how might the answer affect a military conflict between the two sides?

120°W

100°W

80°W

N

E

W

Washington Terr.

S

N.H.

Vt.

Me.

Dakota Territory

Minn.

Oregon

Mass. Conn. R.I.

Wis.

N.Y.

Mich.

40°N

N.J.

Pa.

Nevada Terr.

Nebraska Terr.

Iowa

Del.

Utah Territory

Ohio

Ind.

Md.

Ill.

W. Va.

Colorado Territory

Richmond Washington, D.C.

Calif.

Kansas

Va.

Mo.

Ky.

N.C.

Tenn.

Indian Terr.

New Mexico Territory

Ark.

S.C.

Ala.

Ga.

Fort Sumter

Miss.

Texas

La.

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Fla.

PACIFIC OCEAN

Union state Union territory Border state*

Slave state seceding before siege of Ft. Sumter, April 1861 Slave state seceding after siege of Ft. Sumter, April 1861

0 400 kilometers 400 miles 0 Albers Equal-Area projection

* West Virginia separated from Virginia in 1861 and was admitted to the Union in 1863.

The Border States In four border states —Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri—slavery existed, but it was not as widespread as in the rest of the South. The border states were vital to the strategy of the Union. Missouri could control parts of the Mississippi River and major routes to the West. Kentucky controlled the Ohio River. Delaware was close to the key Union city of Philadelphia. Maryland was close to Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. Washington, D.C., lay between Virginia and Maryland. If Maryland seceded, the North’s capital would be surrounded. Lincoln had to move cautiously to avoid upsetting people in the border states. If he announced that he aimed to end slavery, for instance, groups supporting the Confederacy might take their states out of the Union. If he ordered Northern troops into Kentucky, border state state between the North and South that was divided over whether to remain in the Union or join the Confederacy 430

Confederate sympathizers there would claim the state had been invaded and swing it to the South. President Lincoln worked to keep the border states in the Union. In September 1861, he wrote: “ I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we can not hold Missouri, nor as I think, Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of this capitol. ” — from Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writing In some ways, Lincoln acted boldly. He suspended some constitutional rights and used his power to arrest people. In the end, the border states remained in the Union, but many of their residents still supported the Confederacy. The Two Sides Among the North’s advantages were a larger population and more abundant resources when compared with the South. The North had a better banking system, which helped raise money for

Lincoln, Abraham. 1894. Abraham Lincoln: Complete Works, Comprising His Speeches, Letters, State Papers, and Miscellaneous Writings, Volume 2. Century Company, New York. Pg. 81.