Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America (CSA) was a short-lived government that existed in the southern United States during the American Civil War. It was established (made) in 1861 by seven southern states in which slavery was legal, after Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the U.S., but before he took office. South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas declared their secession (independence) from the United States. After war began, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina joined them. The first capital of the Confederacy was Montgomery, Alabama, but for most of the war the capital was Richmond, Virginia.

Confederate States of America
1861–1865
Flag (1861–1863) Seal (1863–1865)
Motto: Deo vindice ("Under God, our Vindicator")
Anthems:  "God Save the South" (de facto) "Dixie" (unofficial, popular) March: "The Bonnie Blue Flag"
The Confederate States in 1862   Claims made by the Confederacy   Separated West Virginia   Contested Native American territory
Status	Unrecognized state[1]
Capital	Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (until April 2–3, 1865)[2] Danville, Virginia (until April 10, 1865)[3]
Largest city	New Orleans (until May 1, 1862)
Common languages	English (de facto) minor languages : French (Louisiana), Spanish (Arizona), Indigenous languages (Indian territory)
Demonym(s)	Confederate
Government	Confederated presidential non-partisan herrenvolk republic
President
• 1861–1865	Jefferson Davis
Vice President
• 1861–1865	Alexander H. Stephens
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Historical era	American Civil War / International relations of the Great Powers (1814–1919)
• Provisional constitution	February 8, 1861
• American Civil War	April 12, 1861
• Permanent constitution	February 22, 1862
• Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia	April 9, 1865
• Military Collapse	April 26, 1865
• Debellation and Dissolution	May 9, 1865
Population
• 18601	9,103,332
• Slaves2	3,521,110
Currency	Confederate States dollar State currencies
Preceded by Succeeded by South Carolina Mississippi Florida Alabama Georgia Louisiana Texas Virginia Arkansas North Carolina Tennessee Arizona Territory West Virginia Tennessee Arkansas Florida Alabama Louisiana North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Mississippi Texas Georgia Arizona Territory
Today part of	United States
1 Population values do not include Missouri, Kentucky, or the Arizona Territory. 2 Slaves included in above population (1860 Census).

The "Blood-Stained Banner" - the Third and final flag of the Confederate States of America. (4th March, 1865 - onwards)

The states in dark green were the Confederate States of America and light green shows territory that was claimed, but never under effective control.

The government of the Confederacy was much like the United States government. The Confederate States Constitution was similar to that of the United States; however, it emphasized states' rights and clearly protected the enslavement of black Americans. Jefferson Davis was chosen as president and Alexander Stephens as vice-president. As in the United States, the CSA president had a cabinet of advisors.

The United States government (also known as the Union) did not agree that the states could leave and start a new government. Thus, the Union government refused to abandon all its forts in the states that wanted to secede. War began when the CSA attacked one of those forts, Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. This war is known as the American Civil War, and it lasted from 1861 to 1865. After some of the deadliest battles in U.S. history, Union forces gradually regained control of southern states. As Confederate forces surrendered, the Confederacy fell apart and the Civil War came to a close in 1865. Following the war, slavery was outlawed everywhere in the United States. The process of restoring the states of the CSA to the Union, called the Reconstruction of the United States, continued until 1877.

It is still undecided if the Confederate States of America was ever a country. The Union never said that the Confederacy was really a country. Although British and French companies sold ships and materials to the Confederacy, no nation officially recognized the CSA as an independent country.^[4][5]

The CSA was also called "the South," "the Confederacy," and "Dixie."

References

1. "Preventing Diplomatic Recognition of the Confederacy, 1861–65". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013.
2. "Reaction to the Fall of Richmond". American Battlefield Trust. December 9, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
3. "History". Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
4. "Preventing Diplomatic Recognition of the Confederacy, 1861-1865". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
5. McPherson, James M. (2007). This mighty scourge: perspectives on the Civil War. Oxford University Press US. p. 65. ISBN 9780195313666.

Other websites

• Confederate States of America -Citizendium