States' Rights refers To the struggle between the federal government and individual states over political power. In the Civil War era, this struggle focused heavily on the institution of slavery and whether the federal government had the right to regulate or even abolish slavery within an individual state.
Explanation:
The Civil War is believed by most to be caused because of the issue of slavery. ... States' rights were simply a convenient political debate to fit the slavery argument into. The American Civil War was, ultimately, about one thing: slavery. However, other issues found their way into the debate as well.
