Explore Delaware: Border State

During the 1800s Delaware accurately reflected the growing national tensions over slavery and race relations. Northern Delaware was industrial and populated by Quakers advocating an end to slavery, while Kent and Sussex counties remained rural and sympathetic to the South. Eventually these tensions exploded into civil war, challenging both Quaker pacifists and Southern sympathizers alike. The bloodshed of the Civil War failed to fix all the problems, leading to years of segregation and challenges for civil rights activists.