The Greatest Cause of the Civil War Was Slavery

Hello, And thank you for having me. While Slavery was one of the biggest causes of the Civil war, It is hard for me to say that it is the greatest cause. First off, I'd like to review the first form of government that the United States ever had; the United States firstly operated under a confederacy. During the United States' first ten years as a country it operated under the Articles of Confederation, "Each state retains its sovereignty, Freedom, And independence, And every power, Jurisdiction, And right, Which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, In Congress assembled. " (Articles of Confederation), This proposes that each state operates as its own, Independent, Government. Many Southerners supported this system of government, A government with a weak central system, Thomas Jefferson was a spearhead of this form of government and continued to push it. The majority of the South supported Jefferson in this governmental system and wanted it to continue, However, The system was abolished with the drafting and execution of the Constitution of the United States of America which, As you know, Replaced the Confederation with a Federation (a system with a strong government). The idea of a Confederation instead of a Federation continued to burn in the hearts of the Southerners, As they believed the system was superior to the Federated system that we had and still have to this day. This is clearly seen in the Constitution for the Confederate States of America which says, "We, The people of the Confederate States, Each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, In order to form a permanent federal government, Establish justice, Insure domestic tranquility, And secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America. " (Preamble, Constitution of the Confederate States). It can be observed that the Preamble states, ". . . Each State acting in its sovereign and independent character. . . " (Preamble, Constitution of the United States) which shows similarity to the Articles of Confederation which also mention state independence when it states, "Each state retains its sovereignty, Freedom, And independence, And every power, Jurisdiction, And right, Which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, In Congress assembled. " (Articles of Confederation). Another major argument on why the civil war started was because of President Lincolns view on the states having a right to secede. President A. Lincoln believed that the states do not have the right to secede, "Abraham Lincoln purposely provoked the Civil War by attempting to resupply Fort Sumter in April 1861 became a cornerstone of the reinterpretation of the Civil War after the defeat of the Confederacy in 1865" (Lonnie Bunch). This is evidence to show that Abraham Lincoln started the war, Not because of slavery but because he did not believe that the states had rights to secede from the union. As said earlier, A couple of states who continued to practice the horrific acts of slavery remained in the Union throughout the civil war, "The border slave states of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, And Missouri remained with the Union. . . " (history. Com)