Carpetbaggers

Carpetbaggers ** Carpetbaggers ** After the end of the civil war the United States was in ruin. The southern states were forced to free their slaves and wee left with fields of dead crops and towns in ruin as a result of war. Cannon fire destroyed several buildings in the south and killed many people. The union army accomplished the goal of reuniting the counties boundaries and ending the slave trade. Reconstruction had begun not just economic reconstruction but also the reconstruction of society in the south. Life in the old south was what people were accustomed to, now they had to change their way of life.

In the south most people owned slaves and after the civil war slaves were free and then wanted to be treated as equals to their former masters. After Lincoln was assassinated Andrew Johnson took over the presidency. Congress tied to pass laws to help African Americans fit into society. During this time there were representatives of the freedmen’s bureau who traveled to the south to make sure congresses wishes were being followed. They were often referred to as carpetbaggers because they carried their belongings in bags made of carpet.

Not all carpetbaggers were from the freedmen’s bureau some were humanitarians who wanted to help african ameicans, others were people just looking for some way to better themselves in some weird way.the carpetbaggers were not welcomed in the south by the residents. they were republicans in an area filled with people who wee strongly democratic, they believed in the reconstruction plan, and they wanted equal treatment for african americans.they set up schools for african american children and did other services for the african americans.the kkk were strongly against the presence of carpetbaggers in the south.

Some carpetbaggers were buissness men who bought plantations in the south to bcome wealthy. some were union army veterans who were tying to use the money that they sved to make more money.carpetbaggers were well educated middle class citizens. the southeners did not like any northerners on their land unless they were investing their moneythey called them all sorts of derogitory names. congresses wishes were causing violence all though the south even against their own officials.

the kkk was very open about their feelings toward carppetbaggers. they put cartoons in the newspapers threatening them. in alabama they produced one saying that they would lynch carpetbaggers. at the end of the reconstuction carpetbaggers left the south. there were laws passed protecting african americans from the violence against them. Works Cited __ Answers.com - Online Dictionary, Encyclopedia and much more __. 05 June 2009 . Danzer, Gerald A. __The Americans__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. __ The History Channel - Home Page __. 05 June 2009 . __ Wikipedia __. 05 June 2009 .