"It Is Time for the States to Speak to the Federal Government.".

A case study of the Altoona Conference, also known as the Loyal Governors' Conference, held during the U.S. Civil War in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in September 1862 is presented. It examines the relationship between then-U.S. president Abraham Lincoln and loyal U.S. state governors who wished to convince Lincoln to alter his war policies, particularly concerning the possibility of the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.