It was only a matter of time before the inevitable conflict between North and South occurred. The North and South were completely opposite in their economic systems, political opinions, social positions and regions geographical. The dispute over slavery became the main conflict debated throughout the country. Northerners formed the Republican Party while Southerners formed the Democratic Party. Both sides tried to take different social positions based on the numerous conflicts preceding the civil war. Although there were other important causes, ultimately, different opinions on political and social events and beliefs were the main causes of the Civil War. Conflicting views on states' rights and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act led to greater political tensions between the North and the South. There was much discussion about whether some laws favored one region over another. These arguments led to the Doctrine of States' Rights, which held that state power should be greater than federal power because the states had formed the national government. Robert Young Hayne, a states' rights advocate, stated that "If the federal government alone can determine the limits of its own authority, and the states are forced to accept these decisions... then this is practically a government of unlimited power." . powers” ​​(Hayne, “Speech before the United States Senate on Mr. Foote's Resolution”). Southerners favored stronger state rights, while Northerners wanted federal power over state power. This political difference further divided the North and South, strengthening the forming sides of the Civil War. Through this belief in state over federal power, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, which favored the South over... middle of paper... men were property, rather than people, and could now spread slavery across the states United. The outcome of this case helped to widen the schism that was forming between the North and the South. Thus, the social factors that divided the North and the South helped cause the Civil War. Although geographic and economic disputes were considered important, it was primarily political and social differences that gave rise to the Civil War. Unable to agree on how much rights a state deserved, the North and South drifted further apart from each other. This division increased with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law and when the final verdict in the Dred Scott case was announced. Abolitionist attempts to end slavery continued to separate the divisive parties. All in all, the Civil War began as political and social discord, but turned into a full-scale battle that decided the fate of our nation..