What were the Border States and why were they important?
1 Answer
The border states were the states that were between the north and south that could have gone either direction in the civil war.
Explanation:
Maryland was a border state. Maryland was a slave state it could have easily joined the confederacy. If Maryland had joined the Confederacy instead of the Union. Washington DC would not have been viable as the capital of the Union and the Civil War might have been over before it started.
Kentucky was a border state. If Kentucky had joined the confederacy, all the northern states along the Ohio River would have been vulnerable to invasion from the south. Transportation of supplies and troops along the Ohio River would have been restricted or impossible. The Northern armies in the east could have been defeated by the Army of Northern Virginia, causing the North to lose the civil war.
The border states could have gone either way joining either the Union or the Confederacy. The decisions of these states had an impact on the results of the war.
