In the early 1860s, the US was at a turning point in its history. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln — a staunch opponent to slavery — 11 states led by the Confederacy announced they would secede.
Serving as the Confederate capital, Montgomery invited delegates from the Deep-South states to draft a constitution for a new nation in 1861. The Confederacy lost this fight, but Montgomery gained a nickname: the "Cradle of the Confederacy."