Which policy period is described as favoring rapid restoration with leniency toward the South?

• A. Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policy.
• B. Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan.
• C. Wade-Davis Bill policy.
• D. The Radical Republicans' plan.

Answer: (A)

This question tests how Reconstruction differed in speed and leniency toward the South. The period that favored rapid restoration with leniency is the presidential Reconstruction led by Andrew Johnson. He pushed for quick readmission ofSouthern states with minimal conditions, offering broad pardons to former Confederates and allowing states to rejoin once they repealed secession, accepted emancipation, and repudiated Confederate debts. Johnson prioritized restoring the Union swiftly and preserving states’ rights, while opposing the harsher, restructuring measures supported by Radical Republicans. This contrasts with Lincoln’s earlier leniency in his Ten Percent Plan, the stricter terms of the Wade-Davis Bill, and the Radical Republicans’ punitive, reform-oriented approach that sought strong federal protections for freedpeople.