Why did the south believed it was fighting for the right to self-government?

The South believed it was fighting for the right to self-government primarily because they viewed the federal government's increasing influence and intervention in state affairs as a threat to their autonomy. They argued that states had the right to determine their own laws, particularly regarding issues like slavery, which they saw as essential to their economic and social systems. This belief in states' rights was a cornerstone of their justification for secession and the Civil War. Ultimately, they framed their struggle as a defense of their way of life and the principle of self-determination.