At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Opothleyahola and Creek remained loyal to the federal government. While it had passed legislation for Indian removal, they believed that the pressure for this came from Georgia and the southern populations, so did not support the Confederacy. The Lower Creek and some of the other of the Southeastern tribes, who had specialized in cotton production, held numerous slaves and had more cultural contacts with white settlers, supported the Confederacy. It had promised them an Indian-controlled state if they won the war. Tensions within the Creek Nation increased during this period because the Confederacy tried to convince it and other Indian nations to tighten slave codes in Indian Territory.