Final answer:
The goal of the Radical Republicans was to transform Southern society after the Civil War, including protecting the rights of freed slaves. Their specific aim related to the question was to redistribute plantation lands to former slaves, which is reflected in option D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The goal of the Radical Republicans during the Reconstruction era was to drastically reshape Southern society following the Civil War through strong measures that included protecting the legal rights of freed slaves and ensuring their integration into society as equals. Among the various objectives they pursued, redistributing plantation lands to former slaves was indeed one of their goals. This aligns with option D: redistributing plantation lands to former slaves. While other options may touch on aspects of their agenda or the broader context of the era, option D most accurately reflects a specific goal of the Radical Republicans.
The Radical Republicans did not aim to keep the Confederate states from rejoining the Union; rather, they wanted them to return on harsher terms, ensuring that African Americans were granted full rights and protections under the law. They did not directly aim for securing the right to vote for women in the South, as their focus was on African American rights during this period, though the pursuit of universal suffrage would emerge later. The goal of punishing all states that had allowed slavery was not a targeted aim for the group; their focus was on reconstructing the Southern states in a way that guaranteed freedom and equality for formerly enslaved individuals.