Ask us was meant by the term scalawag in the South?

In the post-Civil War South, the term "scalawag" referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party. Often seen as traitors by their peers, scalawags typically advocated for civil rights and economic reforms, aligning themselves with Northern Republicans and African Americans in efforts to rebuild the South. The term carried a derogatory connotation, reflecting the deep social and political divisions of the time.