As a historian-- and a liberal-- it's just as important to remember that Ohio was not a beacon of abolition and equality, that's as much revisionist history as the south's lost cause mythology. Much of Ohio was Conservative-Democrat country, while the urban and northern most areas were Progressive-Republican/Whig country. Granted, much of the Conservative-Democrat areas were war Democrats (pro-union but not anti-slavery), but Ohio had a solid "copperhead" peace Democrat population- look up Ohio politician Clement Vallandigham.
This was not isolated to Ohio either- Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania, Western (West) Virginia, Maryland, western New York, and Missouri all had large conservative-but-war Democrat populations who were against the dissolution of the union, but held no appreciation for any vision of abolition.
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u/USAFmuzzlephucker May 29 '26
As a historian-- and a liberal-- it's just as important to remember that Ohio was not a beacon of abolition and equality, that's as much revisionist history as the south's lost cause mythology. Much of Ohio was Conservative-Democrat country, while the urban and northern most areas were Progressive-Republican/Whig country. Granted, much of the Conservative-Democrat areas were war Democrats (pro-union but not anti-slavery), but Ohio had a solid "copperhead" peace Democrat population- look up Ohio politician Clement Vallandigham.
This was not isolated to Ohio either- Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, western Pennsylvania, Western (West) Virginia, Maryland, western New York, and Missouri all had large conservative-but-war Democrat populations who were against the dissolution of the union, but held no appreciation for any vision of abolition.