But if Blackburn fit the definition of a scalawag, perhaps we should look at all people who were labeled as scalawags in northwest Louisiana and reclassify them through a new historic lens.
What would you do if you were a native southerner against slavery and a journalist who lived in northwest Louisiana during the Civil War era? Would you be outspoken about your beliefs that all men are created equal, or would you keep your mouth shut to keep from being injured or killed? Because thousands of men and women right here in northern Louisiana had to ask such questions of themselves.