The Civil war rages, the War between the States has become known as the bloodiest war ever fought. The Civil War divided the United States between its Northern and Southern states. The battles lingered for long years, but the consequences of the war have endured time. The start of the war began with the firing on Ft. Sumter by the Southern states and lasted until General Robert E Lee surrendered his southern troops at Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865. The War pitted brother against brother in attempts to retain a way of life and thinking. Although there has not been agreement on the major causes of the War, this essay will explore possible immediate causes and long term causes of the War. The immediate causes of the war that will be discussed are the election of Lincoln as president, the quest of the South to succeed from the Union, and the firing on Fort Sumter. The longer term causes discussed will be economic differences between the North and South, failure of Congress to compromise and the slavery and territory issues. The immediate causes of the War were the election of Lincoln as president. The fire-eaters threatened secession because of Lincoln's affiliation with abolitionist. The Southern states wanted their independence respected by the national government. The preservation of the way of life in the Southern states was of utmost importance. In opposition to legislation that would strengthen the national government the Confederacy rejected the demands of the Union. The Southern states believed that the right to succeed from the Union was within the doctrine of states' rights. Secessionist believed that the national government was a conglomeration of sovereign states and that any state had the legal right to remove itself from the Union. As Lincoln gave his inaugural speech he declared that secession was illegal and that he would acquire Southern possessions.