Note: Your teacher will grade your responses to questions 20‒21 to ensure you receive proper credit for your answers.
Explain the purpose of Reconstruction. Describe the difference between Lincoln’s plan and the plan implemented by the Radical Republicans.
The purpose of Reconstruction was to rebuild and restore the Southern states after the Civil War and to address the issues of slavery, civil rights, and political power for newly freed African Americans.
Lincoln's plan, known as the "Ten Percent Plan," aimed to quickly restore the Union and offered amnesty to most Southerners who took an oath of loyalty to the Union. It required only 10% of a state's voting population to take the oath for the state to be readmitted to the Union. Lincoln also proposed limited suffrage for African Americans who were educated or served in the Union Army.
On the other hand, the plan implemented by the Radical Republicans, led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, sought to punish the Southern states for their role in the Civil War and ensure the political and civil rights of African Americans. The Radical Republicans believed that the Southern states should be subject to more strict conditions and reforms before being readmitted to the Union. They sought to establish political equality for African Americans, implement land reform, and provide social and economic support for newly freed slaves. The Radical Republicans also pushed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted African Americans citizenship and equal protection under the law.