Earlier this summer, discussions on social media highlighted ongoing debates and misunderstandings surrounding the Civil War. In response, we engaged with our audience and staff to identify the most frequently misunderstood questions and topics about this pivotal period in American history. This article is part of our ongoing series, “Myths and Misunderstandings,” aimed at providing clear, research-backed answers to these complex questions, digestible in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee.
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with the attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The immediate trigger was a clash of Constitutional principles. The United States government refused to acknowledge the Southern states’ purported right to secede from the Union. Conversely, the newly formed Confederate States of America asserted this right by seizing federal properties within their claimed borders. President Lincoln’s subsequent call for volunteers on April 15 to quell what he termed an “insurrection” solidified Southern fears of Federal overreach. This action spurred four additional states in the Upper South to join the Confederacy, significantly expanding the scale of the conflict.
While secession and Constitutional disagreements acted as the proximate cause of the war, they were not the ultimate cause. To truly understand What Caused The Civil War, we must delve deeper and examine the core motivations of those who championed secession.
Confederate Col. John S. Mosby, a renowned partisan leader, in 1894, expressed astonishment at a speech that dismissed slavery as a cause of the war, labeling it a “‘slanderous accusation.'” Mosby stated, In 1894, legendary Confederate partisan leader, Col. John S. Mosby expressed surprise “I always understood that we went to War on account of the thing we quarreled with the North about. I never heard of any other cause of quarrel than slavery.”
This perspective from a key Confederate figure contrasts sharply with post-war attempts to minimize slavery’s role. However, during 1860-1861, slavery was undeniably central to the discourse and ideology of Southern leaders. As Deep South states sought to persuade Upper South states to secede, their commissioners consistently emphasized the grave threat that Abraham Lincoln’s election posed to the institution of slavery and, by extension, to Southern white society. Formal declarations justifying secession from numerous states explicitly underscored slavery as the primary concern. Even Virginia, which initially hesitated but ultimately seceded after the war’s commencement, presented a list of demands Even Virginia, which seceded after war began, had formulated a list of demands to the U.S. government, conditions for remaining in the Union, all of which revolved around slavery and racial issues.
Mississippi’s resolutions of November 30, 1860 Typically, Mississippi’s November 30, 1860 resolutions, enacted in response to Lincoln’s election, exemplify this. While they commenced with assertions of state sovereignty and rights, they quickly pivoted to the defense of slavery, recalling the original Constitutional protections for the institution and lamenting Northern violations. Ironically, in this context, Southerners invoked federal authority to enforce fugitive slave laws, contradicting their usual advocacy for states’ rights when Northern states resisted these laws.
Factors such as the defense of “states’ rights,” Southern “honor” (rooted in resentment of perceived Northern criticism), apprehension of Federal “coercion,” and a growing sense of distinct Southern and Northern identities undoubtedly contributed to the decisions of Southern leaders in 1860-1861. However, these abstract motivations were not the fundamental drivers of secession and war. The indispensable factor, what ultimately caused the Civil War, was the South’s resolute defense of slavery – a tangible institution deeply interwoven with their economy, society, culture, and way of life.
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