The response that best shows how the issue of states’ rights contributed to the onset of the Civil War is:
Many Southerners believed the rights of their states were threatened by Northern abolitionists.
This reflects the Southern perspective that their state sovereignty was at risk, particularly concerning the institution of slavery, which they viewed as essential to their economy and way of life. The tensions surrounding states’ rights versus federal authority, especially in relation to slavery, were key factors leading to the Civil War.