In 1860 there were 33 states in the United States. But in December of that year South Carolina withdrew, or seceded, from the Union. In the first months of 1861, 10 more southern states seceded. They were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. These states formed the Confederate States of America. They chose Jefferson Davis as their president and Richmond, Va., as their permanent capital.
These southern states wanted to set up a government of their own because they did not agree with the northern states about a number of things. One of the big disagreements was about slavery. The South thought that it could not do without slaves. The North was against slavery.
A bitter war was fought between the North and the South. The Confederate States lost the war. They became once more a part of the United States of America.
