Lincoln's proposed "10% Plan"

Definition

Lincoln's proposed plan for Reconstruction after the Civil War, which stated that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10% of its voters pledged loyalty to the United States and agreed to abolish slavery.

Related terms

Radical Republicans: A faction within the Republican Party during Reconstruction that sought stronger punishment for the South and greater civil rights protections for freed slaves.

Wade-Davis Bill: A rival plan proposed by Congress that required 50% of voters in a former Confederate state to take an oath of allegiance before it could rejoin the Union.

Black Codes: Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War that restricted African Americans' rights and imposed harsh labor restrictions on them.