Question

Lincoln’s goals for Reconstruction, as discussed in his second inaugural address, were to

Answer 1

Lincoln’s goals for Reconstruction, as discussed in his second inaugural address, were to bring the country together but to punish the South.

Answer 2

Answer:

Lincoln’s goals for Reconstruction, as discussed in his second inaugural address, were to unify the country, to integrate African-Americans into the American society as free citizens, and to pardon the Southern Democrats, in order to avoid future conflicts.

Explanation:

Lincoln's orientation was aimed at swiftly restoring the unity of the country, by promoting an amnesty policy that would allow the southern elites to quickly become involved again in the management of the country. On December 8, 1863, Lincoln enunciated the 10 per cent plan that postulated the reinstatement of the southern states in the Union when 10 percent of the 1860 electorate would have sworn allegiance. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln set up several "reconstructed" governments in the states of Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana.  

The Radical-controlled Congress at that time proposed the Wade-Davis Bill, which demanded that the majority of voters take the oath of loyalty to readmit the southern state to Congress. Lincoln vetoed the bill and the gap widened between the moderates, who wanted to save the Union and win the war, and the radicals, who wanted to make a more complete change in the society of the South.