Blueprints for a Republican South Summary and Analysis

The Reconstruction acts and the extension of voting rights to black men mobilized blacks to become political active. Southern politicians, recognizing that they now relied on black votes, tried to gain their support. They were not very successful as they tended to portray themselves as always having been friends to the blacks.

Motivated by social as well as commercial concerns, some northern men moved to the South to take up government positions and run for political office. These men were called "carpetbaggers" by southerners, in reference to the common large piece of luggage used by travelers. While they had a reputation as coming from the lower class of northern whites, Foner claims many of them were actually young educated men looking for opportunity.

In addition to carpetbaggers, many southerners also condemned "scalawags," which...