What makes a carpet-bagger?

This project explores the history and evolution of the term carpet-bagger and its inextricable links to mobility and the history of Reconstruction, as well as exploring the realities of the original carpet-baggers in the South of their time.

The 'carpet-bagger' was a divisive figure in post Civil War America. It referred to a Northerner who moved to the South, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, i.e. during Reconstruction. Many Northerners made this migration during this period, whether motivated by political aspirations, in pursuit of riches in the radically changed cotton farming industry, or simply seeking a better life. The term 'carpet-bagger' was quickly and firmly established into the social and political fabric of the period, exacting a variety of different responses from different groups. The term survives to this day, applied nowadays to politicians who seek election in areas to which they have no local connection.