At a Berlin, New Hampshire town hall, a constituent asked the former South Carolina Governor about the primary cause behind the United States Civil War. USA Today reported Nikki Haley's response to the question, "Well don't come with an easy question or anything," Haley responded.

The aspiring candidate for the GOP nomination went on to say "I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how the government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn't do." Inciting a negative reaction from both her Republican and Democratic rivals, she then turned the question back to the voter who replied that he was not the one running for president and was more interested to hear her answer. 

The Washington Post cited Haley's rationale for the response she provided, "I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are. And we will always stand by the fact that I think the government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people," Haley said. "It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn't need to tell you how to live your life. They don't need to tell you what you can and can't do. They don't need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom." 

The voter went on to thank her before responding with, "In the year 2023, it's astonishing to me that you'd answer that question without mentioning the word slavery." Haley countered the comment by asking the voter, "What do you want me to say about slavery?" to which the voter replied, "You've answered my question. Thank you." 

This also prompted President Joe Biden to comment on the exchange by answering the question himself, "It was about slavery." 

What Caused The Civil War?

The American Civil War was sparked by deep-seated conflicts surrounding slavery, states' rights, and economic disparities between the North and South. This ultimately led to the succession of Southern States (the Confederacy) and Nothern States (the Union) following the escalating conflict.

As reported by Huffington Post, Christale Spain-- who was elected this year as the first Black woman to chair South Carolina's Democratic Party, said Haley's response was "vile, but unsurprising." 

Huffington Post went on to say that the matters concerning the beginnings of the Civil War and its legacy remain heavily embedded within Haley's home state. She has previously faced scrutiny regarding the war's beginnings. During her campaign in 2010, Haley, in an interview with a formerly active group called The Palmetto Patriots, characterized the conflict as a struggle between two sides advocating for "tradition" and "change." Additionally, she expressed the view that the Confederate flag was "not inherently racist."

In 2015, Haley signed a bill to have a Confederate flag removed from statehouse grounds following a shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston that resulted in the deaths of nine Black Americans. But in 2019, Nikki Haley went on to defend the Confederate flag in an interview saying that South Carolinians saw the flag as "service, sacrifice, and heritage before the 2015 shooter "hijacked" it.