What was a scalawag, and what does it have to do with the American Civil War?
Today, we use the term ‘scallywag’ to describe a distrustful rascal, but it stems from a different word, ‘scalawag’, which has its roots in the aftermath of the American Civil War
Immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), during the period known as the Reconstruction era, a new pejorative term came into use. A ‘scalawag’ described a white Southerner who supported the US government’s plan to reorganise the 11 states that had seceded from the Union (the Confederacy).
The origin of the word dates back further, to at least the 1840s or possibly the 1850s, when it initially referred to a worthless farm animal.
Southern supporters of the Democratic Party and journalists later popularised its association with Southern-born white supporters of the Republican Party during Reconstruction, viewing them as traitors to the South.
Reconstruction refers to the period following the civil war that aimed to rebuild the South, integrate freed African Americans into US society and reform Southern states’ governments.
It involved federal efforts to enforce civil rights and reshape the political landscape and was opposed by Southern Democrats who resisted changes to their traditional social order.
What kind of people were accused of being scalawags?
Scalawags came from diverse backgrounds and included Unionists (those who had supported the North during the Civil War), secessionists (advocates of the breakaway Confederacy), former slaveholders and Confederate veterans.
Small landholding farmers who had long resented the hegemony of the slave-owning planter class over Southern society, accounted for many scalawags. These farmers had also mostly opposed the region’s secession from the Union.
Reconstruction was welcomed as conducive to their interests and an obstacle to the restoration of the antebellum system of slavery.
They were driven by a desire to modernise the South – that is, to remake it in the image of the Northern states. Others were simply opportunistic, seizing the chance to gain power and influence in the new political landscape.
How did scalawags differ from carpetbaggers?
Carpetbaggers were Northerners who migrated to the South after the Civil War. The term was coined via the popular perception of these newly arrived individuals as carrying their belongings in a simple carpetbag.
Despite their negative reputation, carpetbaggers were often professionals and included teachers, merchants, journalists and Union veterans.
Many were eager to help rebuild the South and uphold the new freedoms extended to formerly enslaved African Americans by the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.
What impact did scalawags have?
Scalawags were a complex group and though many forged alliances with newly enfranchised African Americans, others held fast to racist views. Nevertheless, they were united in their determination to prevent the resurgence of the Confederate cause.
To this end, they built up a formidable voting bloc alongside African Americans and carpetbaggers to ensure the successful implementation of Reconstruction.
It’s been estimated that scalawags made up about 20 per cent of the South’s white electorate alone during this period.
Who were some notable scalawags?
Confederate general, James Longstreet, is perhaps the best-known scalawag. Subordinate only to General Robert E Lee, Longstreet fully endorsed Reconstruction. His volte-face provoked the ire of his erstwhile secessionists in the South.
Another prominent scalawag was Joseph E Brown, the Confederate Governor of Georgia, who embraced the post-war reality imposed on the South.
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