This angered the southern states because the republican party was against slavery and they thought they had no place in the union. By 1861, about seven states had left the union (the Civil War). These states then created the Confederate States of America (the Civil War). Lincoln said that maintaining the union was his responsibility and that he was not going to end slavery or get rid of the Fugitive Slave Act (the Civil War). This horrified African Americans and later the Civil War began. African Americans wanted to join the fight to end slavery. Runaway slaves who took part in the war were declared free. The Civil War was a fight against slavery and Frederick Douglass believed it marked the end of slavery. Many African American men wanted to enlist for the war. They faced a lot of discrimination and segregation; they were also paid less than white soldiers (the Civil War). With many African Americans fighting in the war, wealthy planters became poor and the South suffered a food shortage. The Southern economy was very bad and Southerners desperately needed help.