Knights of the Golden Circle
			The Golden Circle was strongest in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. In these states most members were Peace Democrats, (also called “copperheads”) who believed that the Civil War was a mistake and that the federal government’s power was bordering on tyranny. In 1863, it was reorganized into the Order of American Knights, and later became the Order of the Sons of Liberty, not to be confused with the Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution. The leader of the Order of the Sons of Liberty was Clement L. Vallandingham, the most prominent copperhead in America.
			Few members were radical enough to attempt anything to hinder the North in the war. For a while, rumors spread of a revolt in the Old Northwest that would bring the end of the war. Hoping to rally supporters, John Hunt Morgan raided Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in 1863. The organization was poorly financed and poorly led. With increasing Northern victories in 1864, the order’s ideas soon lost appeal, and it disbanded.