Analyze the economic impact of sharecropping on both African American farmers and white landowners in the South during Reconstruction.
Instructor solution
Sharecropping created a system where African American farmers worked land owned by white landowners in exchange for a share of the crops. This system often trapped African Americans in a cycle of debt and poverty due to unfair contracts and high interest rates. For white landowners, sharecropping provided a way to maintain a labor force and continue agricultural production without paying wages, thus preserving economic control.
Think you've got it?
Which of the following best describes the economic effect of sharecropping on African American farmers?
- A.
It often trapped them in a cycle of debt and poverty.
- B.
It provided them with significant economic independence.
- C.
It eliminated the need for labor on Southern plantations.
- D.
It allowed them to accumulate wealth and buy land.
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