The states began to choose sides. Virginia to Florida to Texas seceded to the Confederacy while all the other states stayed in the union and considered themselves free states. The only exceptions were Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri who tried to stay neutral and became known as the border-states. These border-states while considered slave-owning states, they actually held few slaves. .
Congress tried to avert war, however that was short lived. The firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861 was the straw that broke the camels back. The Civil War was a time when the country became a true test of character for the United States. This war while called by many names eventually become known as the "war of brothers". .
Kentucky's Declaration.
Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland and Missouri held very few slaves and were not initially an important factor to the United States legislators, or to the south, as slave owning states were concerned. These states did not rely as much on slavery as the southern states. Because Kentucky did not rely on major agricultural crops as the south, only a few large plantation owners in central Bluegrass Region and in western section of Kentucky owned the majority of slaves in Kentucky. Kentucky produced flour, whiskey, and tobacco, which was not dependent on slave labor to grow and produce. Kentucky's role with slavery was based more on trade, providing a large income for those who sold them to the southern states. .
Kentucky's government was divided by the fact that Governor Beriah Magoffin was proslavery, while the legislation was pro-union. Governor Magoffin and the legislatures had been able to compromise on their disagreements because both parties realized they could not afford to side with either the north or south. Kentucky shipped their products to both the European market via northern railways to access northern seaports and to the South via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
