What was the role of sectionalism in leading to the civil war

Sectionalism was the major cause of the United States Civil War because it was integral to creating the Southern social life as well as shaping its political tendencies, not the issue of slavery, which only affected a very small percent of southerners.

Explanation:During the build up to the Civil War, sectionalism began to develop in the United States. Sectionalism is the belief that a person's region was superior to other sections of the country. ... The two sides of the debate over slavery were divided between the two main sections of the United States; the North and South.

Sectionalism was caused by the issue of states' rights to the slavery and personal treatment of slaves. Sectional strife was caused by the expansion of the peculiar institution into western territories. Initially most northerners ignored the issue of slavery as it had a minimal role in their everyday life.