In 1831, Maryland seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. This lead to the Confederate Capture of Washington and several other key border states. This caused a series of events which lead to the division of The United States of America into four nations: The Confederate States of America, New England, Greater New York, and Franklin. States and territories West of Minnesota and North of Texas became "shared territories", which were officially neutral between the nations of North America and Europe after the signing of the "California Treaty of 1904".