riddle - separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff screen sift, sieve, strain - separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; sift the flour
Causes of the Civil War: Slavery and Control of the Government. Throughout the first half of the 19th century, Southern politicians sought to defend slavery by retaining control of the federal government.
The causes of the civil war have been a point of contention lately. First of all, its causes were economic. The North relied on the South's agriculture for its industrial wealth. When you add to this the problem with slavery, which was also economic but philosophical too.