What did the term "carpetbagger" refer to during Reconstruction?

The term "carpetbagger" during the Reconstruction era referred specifically to Northerners who relocated to the South following the Civil War, often with the intention of taking advantage of the economic and political opportunities that arose during this transformative period. Many of these individuals arrived with their belongings packed in carpetbags, a style of luggage, which contributed to the pejorative connotation of the term.

Carpetbaggers were often associated with the Republican Party and were seen as opportunists who sought to profit from the rebuilding of the South and the new political landscape created by federal policies. Their arrival often coincided with measures that aimed to integrate formerly enslaved people into society and promote civil rights, making carpetbaggers targets of suspicion and resentment from some Southerners. This context positions carpetbaggers as significant figures in the broader narrative of Reconstruction, which aimed at redefining the social, political, and economic structures of the South in the wake of the Civil War.