Should she stay, or should she go? Maryland’s crucial secession vote during the Civil War.

When the Maryland Legislature moved to Frederick City for a special session in 1861, it was meant to send a signal. Maryland was a divided border state, but Frederick was a solid Union-backing city. When Gov. Thomas Hicks moved the legislature to the city for the vote, it was a subtle way for him to express what he desired the outcome to be.

Maryland was one of the four border states at the start of the Civil War. These were states that allowed slavery but remained in the Union. The other states were Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri.