Lincoln’s goals for reconstruction, as discussed in his second inaugural address, were to

a.)bring the country together but to punish the south.
b.)unite the country by showing kindness toward the south.
c.)keep the north and the south separate, to maintain peace.
d.)allow the south to remain separate but also punish it.

The correct option is B

Reconstruction was a period of American history that lasted from 1865 to 1877. The term has two applications: the first applies to the entire history of the entire country from 1865 to 1877 after the Civil War; the second, to the attempted transformation of the 11 ex-Confederate states from 1863 to 1877, as ordered by Congress. The reconstruction put an end to the remnants of Confederate nationalism and put an end to slavery, making the new slaves free citizens with civil rights seemingly guaranteed by three new constitutional amendments. Three visions of the memory of the civil war appeared during Reconstruction: the vision of reconciliation, which was rooted in coping with death and the devastation of war had brought; the vision of white supremacy, which included terror and violence; and the vision of emancipation, which sought full freedom, citizenship and constitutional equality for African Americans.

“i think it is very plausible that if there are five votes to end the death penalty, it could be with the people who are on the court right now,” - smith

so basically it is not clearly and consistently imposed

with my recent question