During the American Civil War, several states seceded from the United States of America (the "Union") to form the Confederate States of America. Also known as the Confederate States or Confederacy, the seceding entities were all southern states and territories that had set up a de facto government led by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In all, eleven southern states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America, which lasted the duration of the Civil War from 1861 to 1865.

While there were many causes for the rift between the Union and the Confederate States of America, the primary cause was the disagreement between the two entities over the issue of slavery. The southern states were pro-slavery while the northern states were not. However, other issues, such as states' rights and taxes and tariffs, were also major sources of tension between the Union and Confederate States of America. As the relationship between the Northern states and the Southern states grew more and more tenuous, seven Southern states decided to secede from the Union. This occurred before Abraham Lincoln took office, but four more seceded after his tenure began.

The Confederate States of America officially folded when the Confederate Army surrendered in April of 1865. However, until that time, a battle raged between the Union and Confederate armies because the Union -- or what was left of the United States of America -- did not recognize the Confederate States of America as an independent nation. President Abraham Lincoln led the Union cause, and for the duration of his presidency, the two sides struggled --as President Lincoln put it -- as a nation divided.

After the Civil War ended and the Confederate States of America was abolished, the states that attempted to secede were granted representation once again in congress in an effort to bring the country together again. Freed slaves who fought for the Union, known as Freedmen, were temporarily granted the right to vote, but their civil rights struggle would continue over the course of the next century.