But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1877, during which the United States had to be politically, socially, and economically put back together. The Republican Party had been hated in the South before the Civil War, and Lincoln's election in 1860 was the trigger that started the march of pro-slavery states seceding from the Union. These carpetbaggerswhom many in the South viewed as opportunists looking to exploit and profit from the regions misfortunessupported the Republican Party, and would play a central role in shaping new southern governments during Reconstruction. Some corrupt characters did descend on the South, seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the defeated Confederates. For opponents of Reconstruction, scalawags were even lower on the scale of humanity than carpetbaggers, as they were viewed as traitors to the South. Government Flashcards | Quizlet To White southern Democrats, scalawags were perhaps even worse than carpetbaggers, as they were viewed as betraying their own people. [15], Leading "black carpetbaggers" believed the interests of capital and labor were identical, and that the freedmen were entitled to little more than an "honest chance in the race of life. [29], Henry C. Warmoth was the Republican governor of Louisiana from 1868 to 1874. Most were former Union soldiers eager to invest their savings and energy in this promising new frontier, and civilians lured south by press reports of "the fabulous sums of money to be made in the South in raising cotton." Defeated Confederates, embittered by the loss of the war, deeply resented northerners. He served in 187980 from the newly established Lee County. , still divided, but both parts are democratic. d The term carpetbagger was used by opponents of Reconstructionthe period from 1865 to 1877 when the Southern states that seceded were reorganized as part of the Unionto describe Northerners. "[24] The historians Eric Foner and W. E. B. [30], The "BrooksBaxter War" was a factional dispute, 187274 that culminated in an armed confrontation in 1874 between factions of the Arkansas Republican Party over the disputed 1872 election for governor. Cincinnati. D. Vietnam is a united communist state, Which Enlightenment idea says that Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. In addition, the newspaper company which he owned received a contract from the state government. Scalawags had diverse backgrounds and motives, but all of them shared the belief that they could achieve greater advancement in a Republican South than they could by opposing Reconstruction. While some carpetbaggers supported African American equality and worked to protect their voting rights, others were motivated primarily by financial gain or political power. They also wrote that he supported states' rights and laissez-faire in the economy. In the congressional elections of 1866, northern voters rejected Johnsons view of Reconstruction and handed a major victory to the so-called Radical Republicans, who now took control of Reconstruction. The suit resulted in the only successful Reconstruction prosecution under the state's civil rights law. The term carpetbagger was a nickname for not a What is one service the Freedmen's Bureau provided for African Americans? [citation needed], Corruption was a charge made by Democrats in North Carolina against the Republicans, notes the historian Paul Escott, "because its truth was apparent. Carpetbaggers generally supported measures aimed at democratizing and modernizing the South civil rights legislation, aid to economic development, the establishment of public school systems. ThoughtCo, Nov. 1, 2020, thoughtco.com/carpetbagger-definition-4774772. Northerners who came to the South and supported African American equality. Take on political roles in reconstructing governments, Carpetbaggers were from the North; Scalawags were from the South, Carpetbaggers were politically, socially, and economically motivated; Scalawags were politically motivated. It is likely that the actions of most of them were motivated by a combination of the pursuit of personal advancement and a desire to participate in the process of transforming the South from a slavery-based society to a more egalitarian one. As the Reconstruction era progressed, antipathy for these carpetbaggers swelled and intensified among white Southerners, who increasingly saw them as interlopers who failed to understand the relationship between blacks and whites in the region. Once in the south, Carpetbaggers bought up cheap land and businesses. What is Sharecropping? You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. ", Blake J. Wintory, "African-American Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly, 18681893. This is only one of the many means these unprincipled demagogues have devised to perpetuate the intellectual bondage of my people. However, it is important to note that the term "carpetbagger" is now considered derogatory and is generally avoided in modern discourse. The bitterness and hate created by the late civil strife has, in my opinion, been obliterated in this state, except perhaps in some localities, and would have long since been entirely obliterated, were it not for some unprincipled men who would keep alive the bitterness of the past, and inculcate a hatred between the races, in order that they may aggrandize themselves by office, and its emoluments, to control my people, the effect of which is to degrade them. Many Carpetbaggers were able to buy land in the south because former plantation owners no longer had a workforce to tend the lands. April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union; the U.S. Civil War was over. These "carpetbaggers" became targets of the white supremacist organization known as Ku Klux Klan because they supported the total integration in the US society of former slaves and they resided in the Southern states where the KKK operated. Southerners who worked to repeal African American voting rights laws. [54][55] Hillary Clinton was attacked by opponents as carpetbagging, because she had never resided in New York State or participated in the state's politics before the 2000 Senate race. Carpetbaggers were not always welcomed by southerners. They actively promoted public schooling and created numerous colleges and universities. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. double hit The term "carpetbaggers" refers to Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, during Reconstruction. [citation needed], Following the end of his 1873 legislative term, Furbush was appointed as county sheriff by Republican Governor Elisha Baxter. Once again, the carpetbagger attacks didn't prove effective, and Clinton won her election to the Senate. How a Derogatory Term From the 1860s Remains a Political Insult. [37], In 1878, Furbush was elected again to the Arkansas House. To that end, they became natural allies of the freedmen. A carpetbagger was portrayed as a lower-class schemer with little education who could carry everything he owned in a cheap carpet bag.These new arrivals supported the Republicans (the party of Abraham Lincoln) and were said to be corrupt profiteers who took advantage of the financial and political instability in the devastated postwar South. And much of that resentment became wrapped up in the term carpetbagger. A scalawag was a white southerner who supported the Republican Party during the period of Reconstruction. [citation needed], Carpetbaggers also established banks and retail businesses. The term carpetbagger, used exclusively as a pejorative term, originated from the carpet bags (a form of cheap luggage made from carpet fabric) which many of these newcomers carried. The term came about in the years following the Civil War, when northerners flocked to the defeated South to do business and were bitterly portrayed as unscrupulous outsiders engaged in political corruption and unethical business practices. Contemporarily speaking, the term carpetbagger refers to roving financial opportunists, often of modest means, who spot investment opportunities and aim to benefit from a set of circumstances to which they are not ordinarily entitled. [citation needed], In Australia, "carpetbagger" may refer to unscrupulous dealers and business managers in indigenous Australian art. These individuals were often perceived as opportunistic and were sometimes accused of exploiting the South for their own gain. He eventually became vice-chair of the Georgia Republican Party, a state senator and the head of an African-American militia which he hoped to use against the Ku Klux Klan. That legislation divided the South into five military districts and outlined how new state governments based on universal (male) suffragefor both whites and Blackswere to be organized. Scalawags Scalawags. He also noted that most carpetbaggers were "former soldiers from middle-class backgrounds who went South seeking a livelihood, not political office. Ku Klux Klan During Reconstruction | Formation, Goals & Actions, China's Communist Revolution Cause & Impact | How Communism Rose in China, Living in the South | Economy, Society & Class Structure. Definition and Examples, Election of 1860: Lincoln Became President at Time of Crisis. The influx of such transitory 'token' members as carpetbaggers, took advantage of these nugatory deposit criteria, often to instigate or accelerate the trend towards wholesale demutualization. To be called a carpetbagger today is to indicate that an individual is not native to a region for which they are running for political office. Some had been lawyers, businessmen, and newspaper editors. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. For other uses, see. Ames tried unsuccessfully to ensure equal rights for black Mississippians. Carpetbagger | History, Significance, & Facts | Britannica Du Bois have noted that Democrats as well as Republicans received bribes and participated in decisions about the railroads. The next Republican congressman from the state was not elected until eighty years later in 1964: Prentiss Walker of Mize in Smith County, who served a single term from 1965 to 1967. Answer: The term "carpetbaggers" refers to Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, during Reconstruction. The term "carpetbaggers" refers to Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, during Reconstruction. [6][7], most carpetbaggers probably combine the desire for personal gain with a commitment to taking part in an effort "to substitute the civilization of freedom for that of slavery". Whats the difference between a carpetbagger and a scalawag. Background Paper for an Address on "Succession and Continuance of Mutuals", "New king's decree favours 'democratic' way", "Radical Routes plans to free housing co-ops from the mortgage trap", "Carpet-baggers 'exploiting' Indigenous artists", "White ignorance about indigenous issues fails everyone", "Four Corners ABC Interview - John Ioannou", "Keep out flood carpetbaggers, says reconstruction inspectorate John Fahey", "West Virginia Newcomer Battles Carpetbagger Label", "Perspective | In the Pa. Senate race, will it matter that Dr. Oz is a carpetbagger? [5] Although "carpetbagger" and "scalawag" were originally terms of opprobrium, they are now commonly used in the scholarly literature to refer to these classes of people. Many carpetbaggers were said to have moved South for their own financial and political gains. Political term arose during Reconstruction and became widespread. In the modern era, the use of carpetbagger endures to denote someone who has moved into a region and run for office. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Wintory, Blake. A. natural law A Carpetbagger was a slang term for northerners who, after the war was over, moved to the south to take economic advantage of the reconstructing south. They included four men who had lived in the South before the war, two of whom had served in the Confederate States Army. Although the exact origins of scalawag are unknown, it was in use in the United States before the Civil War as a term for both a farm animal of little value and a neer-do-well individual. [8], Beginning in 1862, Northern abolitionists moved to areas in the South that had fallen under Union control. Carpetbaggers were initially welcomed by southerners because northern money was needed in southern states to help rebuild. After the war, Furbush migrated to Liberia through the American Colonization Society, where he continued to work as a photographer. A carpetbagger was an individual who moved from the north to the south during the period of Reconstruction (1865-1877). By 1890, they controlled 88% of the mileage; 47% of the directors were from the North. The post-war years in the south provided many Americans with an opportunity to benefit from the financial reconstruction of the south. "Louis Post as a Carpetbagger in South Carolina: Reconstruction as a Forerunner of the Progressive Movement". While the federal government worked on the readmission process, Carpetbaggers took political advantage of this time period. During his term, he adopted a policy of "fusion", a post-Reconstruction power-sharing compromise between Populist Democrats and Republicans. Following the American Civil War, if someone called you a carpetbagger or scalawag, it wasnt meant as a compliment. Carpetbaggers typically were supporters of the Republican Party. Furbush twice won reelection as sheriff, serving from 1873 to 1878. Candeloro, Dominic. After the war, southern states were required to be readmitted back into the Union. [17], Union General Adelbert Ames, a native of Maine, was appointed military governor and later was elected as Republican governor of Mississippi during the Reconstruction era. A carpetbagger was an individual that moved from the north to the south during the period of Reconstruction (1865-1877). None of the states had established public school systems before the Reconstruction state legislatures created them, and they had systematically underinvested in infrastructure such as roads and railroads. Industrial Workers of the World History & Goals | What is the IWW? What Is A Poll Tax? This is in reference to the taxes that are rung from the labouring class of people. At first, Carpetbaggers were welcomed by southerners because they knew that, in order to revive their state's economy, northern money needed to come into the state. They were among the founders of the Republican party in Mississippi. Carpetbaggers were able to vote and hold political office, unlike many southerners. In most cases, the carpetbaggers won out, and many scalawags moved into the conservative or Democratic opposition. This led many building societies to implement anti-carpetbagging policies, such as not accepting new deposits from customers who lived outside the normal operating area of the society. Explanation: google Advertisement Jacksonian America: Bank of the United States and the Panic of 1837. Fast Facts: Carpetbagger Political term arose during Reconstruction and became widespread. He was instrumental in organizing African-American dockworkers into the Labor Union of Colored Men, to gain them jobs at the docks after 1870. The context was that a planter elite kept taxes low because it benefited them. Post, Louis F. "A 'Carpetbagger' in South Carolina", Prince, K. Stephen. [56], The awards season blog of The New York Times is titled "The Carpetbagger". 29 chapters | Carpetbaggers were the Northerners who cam e to the South. However, the Republican Party inside each state was increasingly torn between the more conservative scalawags on one side and the more Radical carpetbaggers with their black allies on the other. They portrayed "liberty" in 1896 as the right to rise above the rising tide of equality. Ideographs, or symbolic terms so resonant with political imagery and meaning as to influence political action, include words like carpetbagger and scalawag. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Galdieri, Christopher J. "Scalawags" were white Southerners who supported the Republican party, "carpetbaggers" were recent arrivals in the region from the North, and freedmen were freed slaves. [37] He returned to Arkansas in 1888, setting up practice as a lawyer. Such individuals are seeking personal financial gain through such actions. "[3], In the United Kingdom at the end of the 20th century, carpetbagger developed another meaning: in British English it refers to people who join a mutual organization, such as a building society, in order to force it to demutualize, that is, to convert into a joint stock company. All Rights Reserved. ", This was the origin of the term "carpet bag," and out of it grew the well known term "carpet-bag government. Foner says Littlefield disbursed $200,000 (bribes) to win support in the legislature for state money for his railroads, and Democrats as well as Republicans were guilty of taking the bribes and making the decisions on the railroad. As a result of the national Compromise of 1877, Chamberlain lost his office. Meanwhile, white Southerners who supported Reconstruction-era Republicans were called scalawags by their political enemies, who considered them traitors to the South and just as bad, if not worse, than carpetbaggers. Foner wrote that the term, as an insult, was used mainly by "white supremacist opponents of Reconstruction" policies. A Carpetbagger was a slang term for northerners who, after the war was over, moved to the south to take economic advantage of the reconstructing south. The revisionist school in the 1930s called them stooges of Northern business interests. A carpetbagger is an individual who moved from the north to the south during the period of Reconstruction (1865-1877). Kennedy had lived in suburban New York for part of his childhood, and could claim some connection to New York, but he was still criticized. Later, however, as Reconstruction governments began to alter the reality of Southern political life, the newcomers were characterized by white Southerners as the dregs of Northern society preying upon the misfortune of the defeated South. And organizations like the Freedmen's Bureau, which sought to help the millions of the formerly enslaved people gain basic education while transitioning to life after enslavement, were often met with resentment and even violence. Carpetbagger is a term from the United States political history. Today an individual that runs for political office in a region they are not normally from can be called a carpetbagger. They pushed Republicans from political positions, were responsible for the Coushatta Massacre, disrupted Republican organizing, and preceded elections with such intimidation and violence that black voting was sharply reduced. What was the term given to Northerners who tried to help educate freedman in the South? Carpetbagger was a pejorative denomination used by US citizens from the Southern states, former Confederates, to refer to people from the North who came to live in the South after the US Civil War. Clinton, who had been born in Illinois, had never lived in New York, and was accused of moving to New York just so she could run for Senate. Who were the carpetbaggers Brainly? He was a major speculator in a distressed financial paper. They used their money toward private ends rather than public investment. Many carpetbaggers were said to have moved South for their own financial and political gains. side-out. The term "carpetbagger" is routinely applied to political candidates who run for office in a region where they are recent arrivals. [29], Charles Woodward Stearns, also from Massachusetts, wrote an account of his experience in South Carolina: The Black Man of the South, and the Rebels: Or, the Characteristics of the Former and the Recent Outrages of the Latter (1873). Without a speedy reformation I will have to resign my post. When Democrats regained control of the state government in 1874, Ruby returned to New Orleans, working in journalism. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Furbush and three other black leaders, including the bill's primary sponsor, state senator Richard A. Dawson, sued a Little Rock barkeeper for refusing to serve their group. A. Vietnam is still divided into a communist north Vietnam and a democratic south Vietnam. At the county level, Northerners made up about 10% of the commissioners, county judges and sheriffs. He supported construction of railroads to support Galveston business. The term carpetbagger was a nickname for Southerners who worked to repeal African American voting rights laws. After the war, many former Union soldiers remained in the south rather than return to their homes in the north. "Carpetbaggers" redirects here. After 1865, a number of northerners moved to the South to purchase land, lease plantations or partner with down-and-out planters in the hopes of making money from cotton. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 African Americans made up the overwhelming majority of southern Republican voters during Reconstruction. Many carpetbaggers were said to have moved South for their own financial and political gains. Which statement is true about Vietnam today? In French politics, carpetbagging is known as parachutage, which means "parachuting" in French. The combination of beef and oysters is traditional. Others invested in businesses or banks. The term carpetbagger was a nickname for Answer: Northerners who came to the South and supported African American equality. After returning to Ohio in February 1865, he joined the Forty-second Colored Infantry. Being called a carpetbagger didn't seem to hurt, however, and he won election to the U.S. Senate in 1964. "[citation needed]. [citation needed], Francis Lewis Cardozo, a black minister from New Haven, Connecticut, served as a delegate to South Carolina's 1868 Constitutional Convention. In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the local populace for their own financial, political, and/or social gain. The term was popularized by those who believed the formerly enslaved people were "unprepared for freedom, hence they relied on unscrupulous northerners, hence Reconstruction produced misgovernment and corruption.". b Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/whats-the-difference-between-a-carpetbagger-and-a-scalawag. The term "carpetbagger" referred to Northerners who went to the South after the Civil War to participate in the region's political and economic reconstruction. Some scalawags were established planters (mostly in the Deep South) who thought that whites should recognize Blacks civil and political rights while still retaining control of political and economic life. ", Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/tourgee/summary.html, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Looting the Mutuals: The Ethics and Economics of Demutualisation. The term was used to describe a White southerner who worked with members of the Republican Party and supported Reconstruction policies. ", Concluding his letter, Foner said that the concept of the carpetbagger was essentially rooted in racism. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002. What's the difference between a carpetbagger and a scalawag? - History Carpetbaggers moved to southern states for economic, political, and social opportunities; Scalawags were politically motivated. The dispute weakened both factions and the entire Republican Party, enabling the sweeping Democratic victory in the 1874 state elections.[33]. Stranger in a Strange State: The Politics of Carpetbagging from Robert Kennedy to Scott Brown. After the Civil War, the South was badly in need of investment capital, and a large influx of Northerners sought economic opportunity there. 2019. Spanish-American War Causes & Results | Who Won the Spanish-American War? "Carpetbagger Rule in Reconstruction Texas: an Enduring Myth.". But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Many were former Whigs (conservatives) who saw the Republicans as the successors to their old party. "Carpetbagger: Definition and Origin of the Political Term." In general, the term carpetbagger refers to a traveler who arrives in a new region with only a satchel (or carpetbag) of possessions, and who attempts to profit from or gain control over his new surroundings, often against the will or consent of the original inhabitants. He was accused of using his position as governor to trade in state bonds for his personal benefit. Who were carpetbaggers quizlet? - AnswersAll Carpetbagger was a pejorative denomination used by US citizens from the Southern states, former Confederates, to refer to people from the North who came to live in the South after the US Civil War. They became wealthy landowners, hiring freedmen and white Southerners to do the labor through the development of sharecropping. fault African Americans and Reconstruction questions & answers for - Quizizz Southerners who supported Reconstruction and African American equality. Mathematics, 07.12.2020 17:00. An alternative explanation is that the northerners who ventured southward following the Civil War were, in many cases, bringing much-needed expertise and capital to the region. Why did carpetbaggers move to the South? - TimesMojo He also became a leader of the Exoduster movement. What was the term given to - Brainly a Carpetbaggers were able to capitalize on southerners' economic troubles and begin a new business. Some bought land, and some leased it. Warmoth stayed in Louisiana after Reconstruction, as white Democrats regained political control of the state. [citation needed]. Get the Brainly App White Southerners commonly denounced "carpetbaggers" collectively during the post-war years, fearing they would loot and plunder the defeated South and be politically allied with the Radical Republicans. The term carpetbagger, used exclusively as a pejorative term, originated from the carpet bags (a form of cheap luggage made from carpet fabric) which many of these newcomers carried. "A Carpetbagger's Conversion to White Supremacy.". Literally describing an unwelcome stranger with no more property than could be carried in a satchel (carpetbag), the epithet later came to refer to anyone perceived as an interloper who came to a region to exploit it against the wishes of the inhabitants. [25] General Milton S. Littlefield was dubbed the "Prince of Carpetbaggers", and bought votes in the legislature "to support grandiose and fraudulent railroad schemes". The term carpetbagger was a nickname for - Brainly.com Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Furbush died in Indiana in 1902 at a veterans' home. Northerners who came to the South and supported African American equality. - Facts, Debates & Timeline, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. As a result, many southern governments were controlled by Carpetbaggers who were able to maintain their position in southern governments due to the federal governments' restrictions on former Confederates. Warmoth supported the franchise for freedmen. See answers . Second New Deal Purpose & Programs | What was the Second New Deal? I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Many Carpetbaggers were even targeted by the Ku Klux Klan, mainly because of their efforts in supporting racial equality in southern states.
