The main cause of the American Civil War was the issue of slavery. The Southern states believed in the preservation of slavery as it was a crucial part of their economy, while the Northern states were opposed to the expansion of slavery into new territories and believed in the abolition of slavery altogether. Over the years, tensions between the North and the South continued to escalate over issues such as states' rights, economic differences, and political ideologies, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.
