Charles B. Dew’s Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War, is a classic. How does it help us answer the question: “The Civil War was fought over what important issue?”  

Charles B. Dew's *Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War* provides critical insights into the motivations behind the secession of Southern states and the onset of the Civil War, focusing particularly on the role of the secession commissioners—those who were sent to persuade other states to join the Confederacy. 1. **Central Thesis**: One of Dew's key arguments is that the primary motivation for secession was the preservation of slavery. The secession commissioners openly articulated their beliefs that the institution of slavery was under threat from the federal government and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. 2. **Primary Documents and Speeches**: Dew draws on primary documents, speeches, and letters from the secession commissioners themselves. This helps to illuminate the fervent commitment among Southern leaders to defend slavery as a central and unifying political issue. The commissioners emphasized the perceived existential threat slavery faced and called for Southern unity against Northern aggression. 3. **Economic and Social Structures**: Dew places the issue of slavery within the broader context of the Southern economy and social structure, arguing that the South's economy was heavily reliant on slave labor. By framing the Civil War through these socio-economic lenses, Dew illustrates how integral slavery was not just to the Southern way of life, but also to the very identity of the Confederacy. 4. **Counter-Narratives**: The book also challenges the “Lost Cause” narrative, which downplays slavery’s role in the war in favor of states' rights and honor. Dew's work refutes claims that the Civil War was fought over anything other than slavery by directly quoting the commissioners and their statements about the necessity of preserving slavery. 5. **Influence on Secession**: By exploring the actions and beliefs of the secession commissioners, Dew shows how these individuals actively worked to spread the idea that secession was needed to protect the institution of slavery. Their influence and rhetoric were pivotal in rallying support for secession and ultimately for the war itself. In summary, *Apostles of Disunion* contributes to our understanding of the Civil War by making a strong case that it was fundamentally rooted in the issue of slavery, as articulated by those who led the secession movement. The evidence Dew presents underlines that the conflict was not merely a political disagreement over states' rights or economic rivalry, but rather a desperate struggle to maintain a social order based on enslaved labor. Thus, the book effectively supports the argument that the Civil War was fought over the crucial issue of slavery.