Which term referred to native white Southern Republicans during Reconstruction?

Which term referred to native white Southern Republicans during Reconstruction?

• A. Scalawags.
• B. Carpetbaggers.
• C. Freedmen.
• D. Radicals.

Answer: (A)

In Reconstruction, native white Southern supporters of Republican governments were called scalawags. These were white Southerners who broke with the former Confederate cause and backed Reconstruction policies, often aligning with Northern carpetbaggers and Freedmen to promote reforms such as public schools and civil rights. They believed cooperation with the federal government could help rebuild the South, even though many former Confederates viewed them as traitors. Carpetbaggers were Northern arrivals who moved South; Freedmen were formerly enslaved people who gained freedom; Radicals referred to a faction of Republicans pushing strong civil rights measures. The term that best fits native white Southern Republicans is scalawags.

In Reconstruction, native white Southern supporters of Republican governments were called scalawags. These were white Southerners who broke with the former Confederate cause and backed Reconstruction policies, often aligning with Northern carpetbaggers and Freedmen to promote reforms such as public schools and civil rights. They believed cooperation with the federal government could help rebuild the South, even though many former Confederates viewed them as traitors.

Carpetbaggers were Northern arrivals who moved South; Freedmen were formerly enslaved people who gained freedom; Radicals referred to a faction of Republicans pushing strong civil rights measures. The term that best fits native white Southern Republicans is scalawags.