When I was in High School, the Civil War was generally explained as being caused by a number of causes, such as states rights or economic issues, with Slavery being a minor component. I was very surprised then, when I started reading real history books and first-hand material, and slavery was almost the only thing that everyone was talking about from 1835 or so onward. It wasn't state rights, it was the rights of southern states to have slaves. It wasn't economic issues, it was the fear of southern states that their economies would be destroyed with the abolition of slavery. Almost every cause was tied very closely to the question of slavery.
Slavery was not the only issue, but it was the clear number 1. Take slavery out of the equation, and succession doesn't happen. There isn't anything else that you can say that about.
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