Carpetbaggers were Northerners who came to the South during the Reconstruction era in order to take advantage of the rebuilding of the South after the Civil War devastated large parts of it.
Scalawags were Southerners who were viewed as traitors for cooperating with the Northerners who were occupying the South during Reconstruction.
Carpetbaggers:
From the North and moved to the South.
Were veterans of the Civil War, looking to live and work in the mild Southern climate.
Had professional backgrounds such as law and journalism.
Scalawags:
From the South and in favor of Reconstruction.
Some worked with blacks to help the South progress.
The Canterbury Tales is helpful to historians because the author "showcases the strict class structure of the period," which was highly segmented and rigid.
