what is the authors view of the intergrity and effectiveness of those involved in the republican governments in the Southern states? Is the view of the "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" positive, negative, or neutral?

Answer 1

It would help if we know the book and the author's name.

The words "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" have obvious negative connotations that date back to the reconstruction era when the terms were first used.

See http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&defl=en&q=define:scalawag&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Answer 2

The answers to that question is in the book Thinking through the Past volume 2 by John Hollitz chapter 1