Sectionalism, slavery, and states' rights were closely connected and helped cause the Civil War.
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Sectionalism means that different parts of the country (like the North and South) had different interests and ways of life. The North was more industrial and wanted to limit slavery, while the South relied on farming and wanted to keep slavery.
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Slavery was a big issue because the South depended on enslaved people to work on plantations. The North opposed slavery and believed it was wrong, creating tension between the two regions.
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States' rights referred to the idea that states should have the power to make their own decisions. The South argued that states had the right to decide whether to allow slavery. They felt the federal government was trying to take that right away.
In the 1860 election, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, many people in the South were upset because he did not support slavery. They believed he would try to end it, which went against what they wanted. As a result, Southern states felt they had to protect their rights and way of life. This led them to secede from the Union, which means they left the United States. This response showed how deeply connected sectionalism, slavery, and states' rights were in causing the Civil War.