Why were delaware, maryland, kentucky, and missouri considered border states during the civil war? a. they were free states that joined the confederacy. b. they were slave states that had boundaries on the ocean. c. they were free states next to slave states. d. they were slave states that stayed in the union.

The correct answer is D) They were slave states that stayed in the Union. They had never declared a secession from the Union. In both Kentucky and Missouri, there were pro-union and pro-confederate governments, so ideology was very split on which way to go. There were times when men from the same family fought for different sides, so it could almost be said that some of these states were fifty-fifty. Because of this, guerilla warfare could happen from time to time, as well as violent raids, assassinations and feuds.