it was over secession honestly. secession was primarily over slavery. states argued about slavery for a long long time, sometimes even violently, but it never caused a full scale war and compromises were always on the table. can a state secede? that's the question. whether the secession be over slavery, taxes, you name it the issue remains the same. are linclonites suggesting that if the south had seceded over taxes rather than slavery it would have been ok? get real. you coukd drill down even further and say it was immediately caused by a diplomatic breakdown after secession. the south wanted diplomacy and to resolve issues like fed installations on southern territories (or the natural objects thereof). the north wouldnt talk. it is an interesting diplomatic issue- if a state cedes installations to the common government what happens to them when they leave the union? good question, and it is exactly these types of matters that diplomacy can cure and it is a shame that the north would not engage in any diplomacy.
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