the Confederate States of America

A rebellion led by rich, southern plantation owners and politicians against the Federal Government of the United States of America. The main cause of this rebellion was, first and foremost, slavery. The Union (another name for the U.S) was slowly becoming more and more abolitionist in the 1800's, and as a result the Southern elite felt the need to disregard any basic human decency they had left and fight for the enslavement of millions of African Americans. This was the main reason the Southern states seceded. Things like "States rights" and tariffs are secondary reasons and were very minimal compared to slavery. In late 1860, numerous states in the deep south announced their secession from the Union after the election of Abraham Lincoln. Despite being an abolitionist, Lincoln pledged not to interfere with slavery in the South. The southern elite, however, ignored this and militias fired on numerous federal forts and properties throughout 1861, one such being Fort Sumter in North Carolina, which marked the beginning of the American Civil War. The war would go on for 4 years, ending in 1865 with General Lee's surrender to General Grant.