Since the Civil War ended, thousands of great minds have attempted to ascertain the main cause or causes. A few less likely options, including the ineptness of politicians of the time and fears of government conspiracy in the South, have emerged, but they are not widely known. Because the Civil War led to the emancipation of slaves and was divided mainly between slave states and free soil states, it is a common misconception that slavery was the cause, focus, and main issue of the war. Despite what legions of grade school pedagogues may preach, the issue of slavery was not all-important at the time the war started. Though the average American would most likely agree that slavery was the most important, if not sole, cause of the Civil War, the truth is that growing sectionalism and disagreements over the bounds of states' rights were the main issues; slavery happened to be a convenient topic which secessionists could use as another argument for dividing the Union.…
