Antedating of "Carpetbagger"

[Fred Shapiro]

carpetbagger (OED 1868)

1867 _Flake's Bulletin_ (Galveston, Tex.) 12 Dec. 4 (Early American
Newspapers)  A carpet bagger in the political nomenclature of the day is
an itinerant lecturer and political speaker.  They come from the North and
journey Southward.  Their ostensible mission is to open the political eyes
of the blind black men and to comfort the hearts of heart-broken
loyalists.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
   Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
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