The main reason for the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 was the conflict around the powers of the states and the powers of the federal government. Though slavery was a relevant issue, it was only until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by president A. Lincoln that slavery, or more precisely, the liberation of million of slaves, became the main motive of the war.
States' Rights. The idea of states' rights was not new to the Civil War. ...
Expansion. As the United States continued to expand westward, each new state added to the country shifted the power between the North and the South. ...
