After the civil war, lincoln wanted to punish the southern states by putting the former rebel leaders in prison and making the southern states pay for the costs of the war. a. true b.< my guess false

B. False

Your guess of false is correct because after the Civil War, Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. His policy was based on forgiveness, because he said that the Southern states had never legally seceded. Therefore A is incorrect and B is correct.