THEY CAME SOUTH WITH EMPTY BAGS

 THEY CAME SOUTH WITH EMPTY BAGS… AND LEFT WITH FULL POCKETS: WHO WERE THE “CARPETBAGGERS”?

If you’ve watched Gone With the Wind, you’ve probably heard the word “carpetbagger” more than once. But who exactly were they—and why were they so despised by Scarlett and the other former Confederates in the story?

After the Civil War, many Northerners moved into the Southern states during Reconstruction. Their Southern opponents gave them the insulting nickname “carpetbaggers,” supposedly because some newcomers carried inexpensive traveling bags made from carpet material.

In Gone With the Wind, carpetbaggers are portrayed largely through the eyes of defeated white Southerners—as outsiders who came South after the war looking for money, land and political power while Southern families were struggling to rebuild their lives.

But historically, the story was more complicated.

Some newcomers certainly did see opportunities to make money or gain political influence. Others came South as teachers, businessmen, government officials and reformers, and some actively supported the new civil and political rights of formerly enslaved Black Americans.

And then there is a man Gone With the Wind fans will certainly remember:

Jonas Wilkerson.

Wilkerson had actually been the overseer at Tara before the war, so he wasn’t a typical carpetbagger who simply arrived from the North during Reconstruction.

Gerald O’Hara dismissed him after learning of his involvement with Emmy Slattery, who became pregnant by him.

But after the war, Wilkerson returns—and things have certainly changed.

He is now prosperous, politically connected with the new Reconstruction establishment, and married to Emmy Slattery. Eventually, the two arrive at Tara with an offer to buy the plantation.

For Scarlett, that is the ultimate insult.

The thought of the former overseer owning Tara, with Emmy Slattery as its mistress, is almost unbearable.

And Scarlett makes it VERY clear that Tara is not for sale! 

That’s one reason the Reconstruction portion of Gone With the Wind is so interesting. The novel shows us the enormous reversal of fortunes after the war: people who once held wealth and social standing could suddenly have nothing, while people they once considered beneath them could return with money and influence.

And Scarlett?

She might despise carpetbaggers and everything they represent—but when survival and business are involved, Scarlett has never been one to let Atlanta society tell her what to do!

 Did you know Jonas Wilkerson had been Tara’s overseer BEFORE the war—and that he wasn’t technically a typical carpetbagger?

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