History of North America

Which event was the most important to cause civil war?

There were several key events that led to the American Civil War, but the most important one was the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the people of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether they would be free states or slave states. This led to a wave of violence in Kansas, as both pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces fought to control the territory. The conflict in Kansas became a national issue, and it helped to deepen the divisions between the North and the South. Ultimately, it was the Kansas-Nebraska Act that set the stage for the American Civil War.