In the century and a half since the Civil War, historians and members of the general public have had a number of explanations for what brought on the secession of the southern states and then the Civil War. Explanations have included social differences between the North and South, economic differences, and the inability of politicians to compromise in the 1850s. In the past fifty years, though, professional historians agree that while these may be legitimate factors, a single cause lies beneath all these other explanations. The evidence from primary sources such as those included in this project is overwhelming. What do you see as the cause?