Final answer:
Abraham Lincoln initially considered colonization plans for freed Black Americans but later aligned with extending some civil rights, including voting to Black men, particularly Union veterans. African-Americans' participation in the Civil War prompted Lincoln to reconceptualize his post-war policies to include citizenship for freed slaves. Post-war society still posed significant obstacles to the full social and economic integration of African-Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abraham Lincoln and his ally, James Mitchell, envisioned different futures for Black Americans once freed. While Lincoln originally entertained a colonization plan, he eventually moved towards a more integrative approach. During the Civil War, the bravery and sacrifice displayed by nearly 200,000 African-Americans who served in the Union Army, along with the activism from Black abolitionists, shaped Lincoln's views on emancipation and the inclusion of Blacks in American society post-war. This paradigm shift led to Lincoln's support for extending voting rights to some black men, particularly Union Army veterans.
At the same time, free and enslaved African-Americans in the North and South pressured the government for policies leading to emancipation and contributed directly to shifting the war’s focus from merely preserving the Union to actively destroying the institution of slavery. After the war, Lincoln acknowledged the nation's obligation to formerly enslaved individuals, hinting at extending citizenship and possible voting rights.
However, the real post-war landscape for African-Americans was fraught with challenges, including segregation, legal and extralegal efforts to impose new forms of forced labor, and resistance to social and economic equality in both the North and South. Despite Northerners' general agreement for legal equality, full social and economic equality, including equal access to public facilities, remained elusive for African-Americans.