Promoting Change By Pressure--lincoln Administration’s Response To The Political Crisis In Maryland In The Early Period Of The American Civil War

Around the outbreak of the American Civil War,under the guidance of secession movement of the southern slave states,Maryland also occurred the serious political crisis.Separatists actively instigated Maryland to secede from the Union,while the forces supporting the Union were tit-to-tat,calling for defending the unity,while centrists sought to step out of a middle line to keep Maryland out of the Civil War.The Maryland political crisis peaked after the outbreak of the Civil War.On April 19,1861,Baltimore,the largest city in Maryland,occurred violence that obstructed the passage of federal troops.To avoid another bloodshed,Maryland authorities ordered the destruction of the railway bridge from Baltimore to the north to prevent federal troops from passing through Baltimore.At the same time of violent confrontation against the Lincoln administration,the separatists within the Maryland legislature sought to achieve the purpose of secession through the political line.Since the southern slave states have made secession moves,they have called for a special meeting of the legislature in an attempt to pass the secession bill.However,the violent resistance of the separatists in Maryland and the attempt to secede from the Union through the political route eventually unsuccessful.At the beginning of the Baltimore riots,the Lincoln government began to take certain measures,through many negotiations with the Baltimore delegation to ensure the army arrived in Washington through Maryland.When Washington had sufficient troops,the Lincoln government suppressed Baltimore by force.The mayor,the police chief and several police commissioners were arrested,Baltimore was under the direct supervision of the Lincoln Administration,and the riots subsided.When state lawmakers hostile to the Lincoln Administration tried to pass a secession bill,the Lincoln Administration ordered the arrest of the state members within the state legislature to prevent Maryland from secession.And at the election to the Maryland State Assembly on November 6,1861,federal generals intimidated and arrested pro-southern voters to prevent them from voting for pro-Southern candidates,thus ensuring the election of pro-federal candidates.The newly elected governor and the state assembly explicitly supported the Lincoln Administration in suppressing the Southern rebellion,and Maryland realized a shift from declaring neutrality to giving allegiance to the Union.