Which has the most historical challenge

[quinnox]

for America. Among the following, which do you think was (or is) the most critical challenge for the country. I'm curious what people think in terms of historical perspective.

1) The civil war
2) World War II
3) The depression
4) Watergate (led to the resignation of Nixon)
5) The current Bush administration
6) The Cuban missile crisis
7) The cold war with the USSR

[punpirate]

1. The Civil War, unquestionably....

The rancor producing it is still with us.

[w4rma]

2. I have a theory that the Civil War was more about corporatism

than slavery.

[bluestateguy]

3. Civil War

I'm not one of those Americans whose sense of history rises and sets within the span of my lifetime.

[Classical_Liberal]

4. With the exception of the Cold War and Watergate

They are all up there.

[AP]

5. The Depression

America could have come out of it as a fascist state. It's realy unbelievable that we came out of it a democracy, and, if anyone other than FDR had been president, we might not have.

It was a time when big businesses were fighting government for control of America and they lost.