These Carpetbaggers were mostly businessmen, politicians, teachers, and other professionals who saw an opportunity to make money in the South, which had been devastated by the war. They often held political office and were influential in shaping the policies of theReconstruction governments.
Carpetbaggers were often resented by Southerners, who saw them as outsiders who were trying to impose their values and ways of life on the South. They were also often accused of corruption and self-interest, and were often the targets of violence and intimidation by white Southerners.
The term "Carpetbagger" has come to be used in a more general sense to refer to any outsider who comes into a region and is perceived as exploiting or taking advantage of it.