Conflict began when Washington, D.C, the nation's capital, became weak and powerless to the Confederate states after Virginia had seceded from the Union. Maryland played a key role in the Civil War because it was a slave state that was on the brink of joining the Confederacy. Washington needed Maryland to stay with the Union to maintain balance and provide safety in the war effort. On April 27, 1861, President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, without approval from Congress, in order to suppress the the sympathizers and rebels that were in the area of Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. This action led to a compromise of a basic civil liberty protected by the United States Constitution. After the suspension was put into order, many
