which statement best describes President Lincoln's views of the reconstruction of the South following the civil war

President Abraham Lincoln's views on the reconstruction of the South evolved over the course of the Civil War. Initially, his primary goal was to preserve the Union, and he pursued policies that he believed would help achieve this objective. In the early stages of the war, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territory to be free.

As the war progressed, Lincoln began to advocate for a more lenient approach to the Southern states that had seceded. He expressed a desire for a speedy and relatively uncomplicated reunification, known as the "Ten Percent Plan." This plan proposed that a Southern state could be readmitted to the Union once 10% of its voters took an oath of allegiance to the Union and accepted the end of slavery.

Later, as the war was drawing to a close, Lincoln delivered his famous Second Inaugural Address in 1865, in which he expressed a spirit of reconciliation and urged "malice toward none" and "charity for all." He emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace.

Unfortunately, Lincoln did not live to see the full implementation of his reconstruction plans. He was assassinated in April 1865, shortly after the war's end. His successor, President Andrew Johnson, pursued a more lenient approach to Reconstruction initially but faced challenges as more confrontational approaches emerged in Congress. The Reconstruction era ultimately unfolded with various measures and policies aimed at rebuilding the Southern states and integrating formerly enslaved individuals into American society.