Carpetbaggers and Scalawags

Carpetbagger. This political cartoon from 1872 depicts carpetbaggers in a negative light.

Carpetbaggers

In the context of U.S. history, carpetbagger was a term used to describe Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, during Reconstruction (1865-1877). The term, a pejorative coined by frustrated Southerners, referred to the observation that many of these newcomers carried their belongings in "carpet bags." This was a sturdy, common form of luggage at the time, and was made from pieces of used carpet. The term carpetbagger was used in a derogatory fashion, and communicated the fear, among Southerners, that opportunistic outsiders were conspiring to exploit Southern resources. Together with Republicans, carpetbaggers were viewed as politically manipulating formerly Confederate states for their own financial and political gains. Carpetbaggers were seen as insidious Northern outsiders with questionable objectives, who attempted to meddle with, and control, Southern politics. Following the Civil War, carpetbaggers often bought plantations at fire-sale prices. Because of this and other behavior, they were generally considered to be taking advantage of those living in the South. A carpetbagger should not be confused with a copperhead, a term given to Northerners who sympathized with the cause of Southern Secession.

Scalawags

In United States history, scalawag was a term for white Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party after the Civil War. Like "carpetbagger," the term scalawag has a long history of use as a slur. Typically, it was used by conservative, pro-federation Southerners to derogate individuals whom they viewed as betraying southern values by supporting Northern policies like desegregation. In historical studies, the term is commonly used as a neutral descriptor for Southern White Republicans, but some historians have discontinued this habit because of the term's pejorative origin.

During Reconstruction, scalawags formed coalitions with black freedmen and Northern newcomers to take control of state and local governments. Despite being a minority, these groups gained power by taking advantage of the Reconstruction laws of 1867. These laws disenfranchised individuals who could not take the Ironclad Oath. Any individual who had served in the Confederate army, or who had held office in a state or Confederate government, was not allowed to take this oath. Because they were unable to take this oath, these individuals were disenfranchised.