Causes of the Civil War

Was the Civil War fought solely over the issue of slavery? Or did divergent social, economic, and political factors play a larger role? Many Historians maintain that slavery was the main cause. In Lincoln's second inaugural address in 1865, Lincoln said of slavery, "All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war." But most Historians agree that the Civil War had a number of causes. They note especially the division between the North …

…whether or not a state had a right to leave the Union, and of primary concern to most Southern soldiers, the continuation of southern culture. Although the majority of Southerners had little interest in slaves, slavery was a primary interest of Southern politicians and consequently the underlying cause of the South's desire to seek independence and state rights. This war was not fought on the institution of slavery alone, but on maintaining the Southern civilization.