To what extent was slavery the main cause of the American Civil War?

... To what extent was slavery the main cause of the American Civil War? The issue of slavery has long been cited by historians as the fundamental cause of the American Civil War. Slavery, it is claimed, was the reason why Southern states seceded from the Union and attacked Fort Sumter on April 12 1861, sparking hostilities. However, it is misguided to claim that the war was fought simply because the South wanted to hold on to its 'peculiar institution' of slavery in the face of Northern pressure for abolition. The reality is that slavery became the focal point for a number of different disputes which divided the North and South and which, by 1860, had built up to such an extent that Southern states chose to secede rather than compromise any further with the North. These disputes involved economic differences such as the South's dependence on agriculture and, in particular, plantation

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