Secession: The act of withdrawing or breaking away from a larger group or organization. This term refers to when the Southern states seceded from the Union, leading to the Civil War.
Slavery: The practice of owning other people as property and forcing them to work without pay. Slavery was one of the main causes of the American Civil War.
States' Rights: The principle that individual states have certain powers and rights that are separate from those held by the federal government. Disagreements over states' rights were a significant factor contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.