Final answer:
Southerners supported carpetbaggers and scalawags who aligned with Republican ideals to reconstruct the South away from old Confederate control, although this support was not universal and opposition viewed them as disruptive.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term carpetbagger was used to describe northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, often depicted as opportunists seeking to profit from the South's political and economic turmoil.
Some southerners supported such individuals because they aligned with Republican ideals of reconstructing the South free from old Confederate influences.
Moreover, not all northerners classified as carpetbaggers were driven by self-interest; many had genuine humanitarian intentions and aimed to improve conditions for both blacks and whites in the South.
Despite controversies, these individuals, along with southern allies, known as scalawags, and African Americans, contributed to the effort to establish a new social order that embraced civil rights and challenged the pre-war status quo.
Their opponents, however, viewed them as a disruptive force, leading to tensions and conflict during this turbulent period.