How did Lincoln want to handle reconstruction?

Answer 1

Lincoln wanted the entire United States back into one piece as soon as possible. He wanted to quickly and "painlessly" finish the reconstruction of the South. That is the reason why he proposed the 10% Plan and other various plans that the Radical Republicans didn't like---------------------------

Lincoln's reconstruction plan strove to readmit the Confederate states into the Union as quickly and easily as possible following the US Civil War. His plan, known as the 10 Percent Plan, involved promoting the loyalty of the southern states and pardoning as many individuals as possible. Lincoln's plan continued after his death but was reversed in 1866 after the Radical Republicans gained control of Congress.

It was important to Lincoln that the process of Reconstruction take place with haste. He did not want to create a feeling of animosity or to harshly punish the Southern states but wanted them to re-enter the Union without delay. Lincoln's Reconstruction plan did not involve any strict punishment of former Confederates. He decided that anyone who took an oath of loyalty and agreed to follow the new rules regarding slavery would be pardoned for their actions during the war.

One of the main points of Lincoln's Reconstruction plan involved obtaining an oath of loyalty from many former Confederates. He expected the oath to be signed by 10 percent of the individuals who voted in the 1860 election that had been held right before the war began. It was because of this point that Lincoln's plan was entitled the "10 Percent Plan." Many in congress thought this strategy was not stringent enough and wanted harsher punishment for the Confederacy.