Many white southerners during the Reconstruction era believed that the main goal of northerners who moved south was to take advantage of the South's economic resources and political power. They saw these northerners as "carpetbaggers," who came to the South to profit financially or to gain political influence, rather than as individuals who were genuinely interested in helping to rebuild the region after the Civil War. Additionally, white southerners often viewed these northerners with suspicion, as they were seen as outsiders who did not understand Southern culture and traditions.
