Final answer:
Fort Sumter became the launching point for the Civil War because of its strategic port location, its status as a federal symbol within the Confederacy, and the Union forces' vulnerability there, which prompted the Confederates' decision to attack.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina, became the place where the first shots of the Civil War were fired due to it being a strategically significant port and a symbol of federal authority in the heart of the Confederacy. The overtake of these federal forts by Confederate forces in the Deep South had already begun, but the
Union's garrison at Fort Sumter
was relatively small, making it a notably vulnerable target. The pressure from the Fire-Eaters and the general desire to demonstrate the Confederate's resolve ultimately led to Jefferson Davis's decision to
attack Fort Sumter
, thereby starting the American Civil War on April 12, 1861.
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