Why Lincoln's Decisions Mattered So Much
Lincoln found himself in an impossible position with Fort Sumter. He couldn't just abandon it because it represented the last bastion of Union power in the South - giving it up would legitimise the Confederacy.
But resupplying the fort was like waving a red flag at a bull. It meant sending naval vessels into Confederate waters and completely ignoring their territorial claims. Cleverly though, this forced the South to fire the first shots, which got previously neutral areas like New York properly invested in the Union cause.
Lincoln's election itself had already pushed the South towards secession. They felt completely unrepresented by a president they didn't vote for, making leaving the Union seem like their only option for self-governance.
His blockade of Southern trade with Britain and Europe made the conflict look much more like a proper war between nations rather than just putting down a rebellion. You don't usually blockade your own country, after all.
James Randall summed it up perfectly: if you had to pick one word to explain the war, it wouldn't be slavery, economics, or states' rights - it would be the political failures that made compromise impossible.
Think critically: Was Lincoln trapped by circumstances, or did his choices make war inevitable?