carpetbagger

car·pet·bag·ger

noun \-ˌba-gər\

Definition of CARPETBAGGER

1

: a Northerner in the South after the American Civil War usually seeking private gain under the reconstruction governments

2

: outsider; especially : a nonresident or new resident who seeks private gain from an area often by meddling in its business or politics

— car·pet·bag·gery \-ˌba-g(ə-)rē\ noun

Origin of CARPETBAGGER

from their carrying all their belongings in carpetbags

First Known Use: 1868

Other History Terms

agonistic, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

Rhymes with CARPETBAGGER

cloak-and-dagger, double dagger

carpetbagger

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Epithet used during the Reconstruction period (1865–77) to describe a Northerner in the South seeking private gain. The word referred to an unwelcome outsider arriving with nothing more than his belongings packed in a satchel or carpetbag. Many carpetbaggers were involved in corrupt financial schemes, but others helped rebuild the economy in the South and participated in educational and social reform.