Sharecroppers

Sharecroppers

Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on the land. This system became widespread in the Southern United States during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and continued into the 20th century. It was a way for landowners to continue farming their land without having to pay wages to laborers, and for freed slaves and poor whites to earn a living.

Historical Context

The American Civil War (1861-1865) resulted in the abolition of slavery, which left many former slaves without land or employment. The Southern economy, heavily reliant on agriculture, was in disarray. Sharecropping emerged as a compromise between landowners who needed labor and freedmen who needed work.

How Sharecropping Worked

In a typical sharecropping arrangement, the landowner would provide the land, seed, tools, and sometimes a mule. The sharecropper would provide the labor. At harvest time, the crop would be divided between the landowner and the sharecropper, with the landowner typically receiving a larger share. The exact division varied, but a common arrangement was a 50/50 split.

Economic Impact

Sharecropping often led to a cycle of debt and poverty for the sharecroppers. They frequently had to buy supplies on credit from the landowner or a local store, and high interest rates and poor harvests could leave them in debt. This debt was often carried over from year to year, effectively binding the sharecropper to the land.

Social and Cultural Impact

Sharecropping had significant social and cultural impacts. It maintained a system of economic dependency and racial hierarchy in the South. Sharecroppers, many of whom were African American, had limited economic mobility and faced discrimination and exploitation.

Decline of Sharecropping

The system began to decline in the mid-20th century due to several factors, including the mechanization of agriculture, the Great Migration of African Americans to northern cities, and changes in agricultural policy. By the 1970s, sharecropping had largely disappeared in the United States.

Also see

• Reconstruction era
• Tenant farming
• Agricultural economics
• Great Migration (African American)
• Jim Crow laws