Final answer:
Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan required that 10 percent of voters from the 1860 election in Confederate states swear allegiance to the Union and accept the end of slavery to re-form state governments. It was intended to quickly reconcile and restore the Union but was met with opposition from Radical Republicans in Congress who sought stricter terms and protection for the rights of formerly enslaved people.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terms of Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan, as part of the Reconstruction era post-Civil War, involved the Reconstruction of former Confederate states. The plan stipulated that if 10 percent of the voters from the 1860 election swore an oath of allegiance to the Union and accepted the end of slavery, then those states could form a new state government and be readmitted into the Union. High-ranking Confederate officials were excluded from this amnesty. The goal was to restore the Union quickly and with minimal retribution, but Radical Republicans in Congress opposed the plan for being too lenient on the South and not doing enough to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people.
President Lincoln's moderate approach was intended to facilitate the swift reunification of the nation by offering a way back for the Southern states that could build loyalty and avoid major social upheaval. Noteworthy examples include Virginia and Arkansas establishing loyal governments under the plan, yet facing issues with representation and adherence to its exact terms. Lincoln's plan was soon challenged by the Radical Republicans' Wade-Davis Bill, which set much stricter terms for re-admittance to the Union.