The Civil War (1861-1865) was meant to answer one question: Would America be a united, indestructible nation? Or would America be divided and easily conquered country? Slavery was the main reason for turmoil between the North and the South. The North rallied for the abolition of slavery while the South was very pro-slavery due to the need for production in the Southern States. In December of 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union because they figured the only way to keep the institution of slavery was to do so. Soon after, seven other states joined South Carolina in secession. Abraham Lincoln was elected to president in 1860 and he wanted a unified country. He was also an anti-slavery supporter however in his mind, the saving of the American Union was more important. War finally broke out in 1861. Robert E. Lee and his right hand man, "Stonewall" Jackson were appointed commanders of the Confederate Army. The North had a huge advantage in military size and in access to manufactured goods such as weapons and ammunition. These factors allowed the Union army, under Ulysses S. Grant to fight a war of attrition. Their strategy was to fight as many battles as possible in order to wear down the South until they didn't have enough men to fight anymore. However, the South was a more experienced army, having had most of the generals graduate from military schools. The South was able to score some notable victories, extending the war, which was supposed to only take ninety days, to five years. In 1865 the Union's war of attrition and "Total War" eventually took it's toll on the Confederate Army and Robert E. Lee was forced to surrender in the Confederate Capital, Richmond, Virginia. Although America was one Union again, the conflict between the North and the South didn't finish when the war finished. President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate stage-actor shortly after the end of the war in 1865, and white supremacy groups still haunted African-Americans with lynchings and other horrible acts.