Abraham Lincoln had just signed the emancipation proclamation before he was shot which freed all of the slaves; However, the majority of the south still did not see the slaves as free and so they discriminated against them. Race relations were tight.
In the most broad and simple terms: he conquered everything around him.
They had strong believes against dictatorship in government.
I believe they were called unionists as they were part of the Union. The south was the Confederacy therefore southerners were Confederates.
