- White southerners who supported Reconstruction and worked to establish Republican state governments in the South during in the post-Civil War era.
- Often former Whigs and Know-Nothings, as well as some Democrats who had opposed secession and supported the Union during the Civil War.
- Typically opposed slavery on moral grounds and believed in the importance of modernizing the South's economy and society.
Carpetbaggers
- Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War and were involved in politics and government during Reconstruction.
- Some were genuine idealists who wanted to help the South rebuild and create a more just society, while others were motivated more by personal ambition and economic opportunity.
- Often accused by white Southerners of being corrupt and taking advantage of the South's vulnerability after the war.