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The real cause of the war was economic. The Morrill tariff tax was increasing the rate to 47%The South was being forced to pay about 85% of the money to operate the federal government and about 80-90% of that tax money was being spent in the North. The South was being treated as an agricultural colony to be bled dry. The famous English author Charles Dickens summed up the cause in 1 sentence. "The Northern onslaught against Southern slavery is a specious piece of humbug designed to mask their desire for the economic control of the Southern States". Prior to the Ft. Sumter incident in which Lincoln intentionally provoked the South into firing the 1st shot so he could claim the South started the war each time a peace delegate met with him and asked "why not let the South go in peace" he replied "what about my tariff I cannot operate the government without the tariff."Slavery was never mentioned.