I guess anyone you talk to would have a different opinion about why the Rebellion took place. There probably are a number of different reasons why men would go to war with each other.
Some say the War was fought to free the slaves. While this would have been reason enough, I think it is a little more complicated than that.
The rebels say that they were tired of the federal government telling them what they could and could not do. Although this is valid, I don't think the average man that went to war cared too much about things like that. You see, your run of the mill Johnny Reb was just a poor dirt farmer trying to protect his home, which he sensed was in danger. Why did he think his land was in danger of being stolen? The plantation owners and the wealthy elite, I believe, were overly concerned about things like "chivalry ", "honor" and the way of life they had known for so long at the expense of others.
If you ask me, when you get right down to it, they just had no way of knowing how bad it was going to be, how long it was going to last and how much it was going to cost everyone involved.
Some Questions To Consider
The Students Respond