What were the Confederates?

A breakaway republic with President Jefferson Davis, consisting of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

The Southern States of America

The Confederate States of America were an unrecognised republic that broke away from the United States of America, based in the Southern region, comprising of eleven states that wished for independence, declaring secession - Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

During the American Civil war of 1861 - 1865 , the 'Confederates' were the group from the South who wanted to keep slavery. They fought the 'Unionists' from the North who wanted to abolish slavery. The issue of Abolition split America in half and led to a brutal four year conflict.

The Confederate south elected their own President , Jefferson Davis despite Abraham Lincoln already being in office as the 16th President. They also created their own flag and wanted to be known as the 'Confederate States of America'. They were mainly plantation owners and those who heavily benefited from the slave trade. They eventually lost and Abolition was achieved in America in 1865.