Before the Civil War began, which issue played the GREATEST role in increasing tension and conflict between northern and southern states? Responses A northern opposition to the Tariff of 1832northern opposition to the Tariff of 1832 B westward expansion and the issue of how to seize land owned by the Native Americanswestward expansion and the issue of how to seize land owned by the Native Americans C westward expansion and the issue of whether slavery would be allowed in the new territorieswestward expansion and the issue of whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories D the Indian Removal Act, the "Trail of Tears," and the creation of Indian reservations in Oklahoma

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The issue that played the GREATEST role in increasing tension and conflict between northern and southern states before the Civil War was C. westward expansion and the issue of whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories. This debate over the extension of slavery into new territories as the nation expanded westward was a significant factor contributing to the sectional tensions that ultimately led to the Civil War. Key events such as the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act were directly tied to this issue and heightened the division between the North and South.