Some 80 years after the United States became a nation, it very nearly disintegrated in a civil war that cost more than 600,000 American lives. Even though the American Civil War ended more than a century-and-a-half ago, disagreements still arise in discussions regarding what the war was about. This lecture will trace the happenings in American politics and society that led to the worst tragedy in the nation’s history. Attendees will examine a key primary source document that will answer the question of why the Civil War occurred. (Limit 35)