1. a person who behaves badly but in an amusingly mischievous rather than harmful way; a rascal.informal
▪ a white Southerner who collaborated with northern Republicans during Reconstruction, often for personal profit. The term was used derisively by white Southern Democrats who opposed Reconstruction legislation.informal
In United States history, the pejorative scalawag referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction policies and efforts after the conclusion of the American Civil War. Wikipedia