The Number of States that Remained in the Union during the Civil War
This essay is about the number of states that remained in the Union during the American Civil War. At the war’s outset 11 southern states seceded to form the Confederacy leaving 23 states in the Union. These Union states included northern and border states some of which like Kentucky and Missouri were slave states that chose not to secede. The essay highlights the strategic importance of these border states the diverse composition of the Union and the critical role of President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership. It also discusses the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation in solidifying the Union’s moral stance and contributing to its ultimate victory.
During the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 the United States faced a major turning point. It was a big clash rooted in deep differences over money society and politics mostly about slavery. One big question that pops up is how many states stayed with the Union during all this commotion?
When the war kicked off the U.S. had 34 states. Eleven of these southern states split off to form the Confederate States of America. Those states were South Carolina Mississippi Florida Alabama Georgia Louisiana Texas Virginia Arkansas Tennessee and North Carolina.
Their move was mostly about keeping slavery and saying states should have more say in things.
That left 23 states sticking with the Union. These included the northern states and a few on the border that still had slaves but chose not to leave. The Union crew was made up of California Connecticut Delaware Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont and Wisconsin. Now Kentucky and Missouri were slave states but they stayed in the Union though they had a lot of people disagreeing about it among themselves.
The Union was a mixed bag—industrial up north farming in the middle and still growing out west. They had lots of differences in how they ran things but they all agreed they didn’t want the Confederate gang running the show. President Abraham Lincoln was a big help in keeping these states together and keeping their spirits up.
The border states like Delaware Maryland Kentucky and Missouri were special. They had economies and ways of life like the southern states but they stayed in the Union. These states were key—they gave the Union a lot of soldiers and supplies. Plus they kept the Confederates from pushing farther north.
The Union crew had a rough time during the war. The Confederates won some early battles and the war dragged on for a long while. People got tired of it and some folks didn’t like how things were going. But in the end they were dead set on keeping the country whole and ending slavery for good. The Union had more factories more people and a better way to get around thanks to trains. Those things were huge in helping them win in the end.
President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was a big boost for the Union. It said all slaves in Confederate areas were free. That made the war about stopping slavery and it got more people behind the Union both at home and overseas. It also made it tough for other countries to back the Confederates which was a big deal for the Union’s game plan.
So in the end 23 states hung tough with the Union during the Civil War. They were a mixed bunch but they were all about keeping the U.S. together and getting rid of slavery. Their determination paid off big time and showed just how important that time was for America. It’s a big part of our story that shows how things can get when people dig in and fight for what they believe in.
The Number of States That Remained in the Union During the Civil War. (2024, Jul 06). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-number-of-states-that-remained-in-the-union-during-the-civil-war/
