Carpetbagger Definition History

Definition and origin of the political term how a derogatory term from the 1860s remains a political insult.

Carpetbagger definition history.

The term is now used in the united states to refer to a parachute candidate that is an outsider who runs. 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. A carpetbagger was a northerner who moved to the south after the american civil war this period is called the reconstruction era. 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.

It was applied to politicians and financial adventurers whom southerners accused of coming south to use the newly enfranchised freedmen to obtain office or profit. Sixty carpetbaggers were elected to congress among them were most republican governors in the south during reconstruction. Carpetbagger definition is a northerner in the south after the american civil war usually seeking private gain under the reconstruction governments. During the reconstruction period 1865 77 to denote a northerner who moved to the south.

Meaning pronunciation translations and examples. Someone who tries to be elected as a politician in a place away from their home because they. Carpetbagger derogatory term originally used in the u s. The term carpetbagger was used by opponents of reconstruction the period.

If you call someone a carpetbagger you disapprove of them because they are trying to. Carpetbagger is a term from the united states political history. Carpetbagger definition a northerner who went to the south after the civil war and became active in republican politics especially so as to profiteer from the unsettled social and political conditions of the area during reconstruction. The term came to be associated with opportunism and exploitation by outsiders.