<em>Option C. The statement that best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt is that The Civil War occurred because people in the South wanted to protect and spread the practice of slavery.</em>
Explanation:
In his inaugural address in 1865, President Lincoln expresses his views on the Civil War. He states how the geographic distribution and location of colored slaves, and the interest that this group represented for some people, was the main cause of the War. The President puts the responsibility of the war on the people from the Southern States, who refused to liberate and abolish slavery, and who decided to defend their own interest to the great extent of a civil war.
