Final answer:
Lincoln aimed to treat the Southern states with compassion, initiating the Ten Percent Plan, requiring minimal allegiance and acceptance of emancipation for reentry into the Union.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Abraham Lincoln wanted to show compassion to the Southern states after the Civil War and facilitate a speedy reunification of the nation. His approach to treating the Southern states is known as the Ten Percent Plan, which required that only ten percent of voters in a state swear allegiance to the Union and accept the end of slavery to form a new state government. Lincoln's plan made emancipation a precondition for restoration but gave some autonomy to states in determining how to end slavery. Radical Republicans felt his approach was too lenient and sought stricter measures for Reconstruction, highlighting a significant political debate of that period.