What term describes southern-born white Republicans during the Reconstruction Era?

The term that describes southern-born white Republicans during the Reconstruction Era is scalawags. Scalawags were typically seen as traitors by many in the South, as they supported Reconstruction efforts and aligned themselves with the Republican Party, which was viewed as the party of the North and associated with the efforts to rebuild and reform the South after the Civil War. This alignment often led to social and political backlash from other white southerners who opposed these changes, making scalawags a controversial group during this period.

Carpetbaggers, on the other hand, refers to Northern transplants who came to the South after the Civil War, often perceived as exploiting the region for personal gain. Unionists were individuals in the South who remained loyal to the Union but do not specifically refer to the white Southern Republican contingent. Democrats during the Reconstruction Era generally aligned with the interests of the South and opposed Reconstruction policies, thus standing in stark contrast to the scalawags' Republican affiliations.