The real underlying cause of the civil war is one that has remained unresolved since the Revolution almost a hundred years earlier, namely the question of sovereignty and law of each State to govern itself as the people see fit best. Before the Revolution, each of the original thirteen states was a colony administered by a locally elected council and royal government (Bridenbaugh 131). They were all different in climate, outlook, character and even religion. One thing united them all: a growing resentment of London's power (Bridenbaugh 66). In 1774, each colony sent delegates to a Continental Congress in Philadelphia to discuss their response to Britain's "intolerable acts." A fierce struggle ensued which resulted in the colonies gaining independence from British rule. There follows the problem of how to govern these states. At first, the Articles of Confederation recognized the independence of each state and created a very weak central government to deal almost solely with foreign policy. There was no executive branch to enforce laws passed by Congress, nor a national court system. Additionally, changes to the Articles of Confederation required a unanimous vote. This quickly proved to be a failure in practice, and a new Constitution was adopted, creating a stronger federal government with sweeping powers to manage domestic matters (Bridenbaugh 155). When the United States was founded, the states held the majority of power, with the power to tax and own militias. Here's the problem: the national government has been given the power to wage war, but the war will inevitably take power from the states so that the federal government can wage it properly. As Southern states succeed... middle of paper ......ridenbaugh, Carl. The Spirit of '76: The Growth of American Patriotism Before Independence. New York: Oxford UP, 1975. Faust, Drew Gilpin. This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print. Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Print. Schantz, Mark S. Waiting for Heavenly Country: The Civil War and the American Culture of Death. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2008. Print.Taussig, FW The Tariff History of the United States. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1931. Print. Trattner, Walter I. From the Rights of the Poor to the Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America. New York: Free, 1974. Print.Weisman, Steven R. The Great Tax Wars: From Lincoln to Wilson, the Fierce Battles for Money and Power That Transformed the Nation. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. Print.