Question

What important decisions had to be made concerning the fate of the seceded states and the rights of those freed from slavery?

Answer 1

As the Civil War drew to a close the primary issue on the mind of the North was how to reintegrate the South back into the Union. They settled on the famous 10% plan for this. Regarding the fate of the ex-slaves, the North instituted Reconstruction, which sought to make sure that the freed blacks would be integrated into Society fairly. This largely failed, however.