AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Sharecropping (Day 156/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about Sharecropping as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Slaves of General Thomas F. Drayton, Wikimedia Commons

After the Civil War, the economic system in the South was upended. The abolition of slavery coupled with the total devastation of the territory stimulated change for the region.

Sharecropping Contract, Library of Congress

To replace forced labor of African Americans, white landowners instituted a system of tenancy and sharecropping. With labor contracts, landowners agreed to furnish land, seed and farm supplies while the laborers worked the land and gave a share of the crops to the landowner.

A Spring Scene in Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University

Poor people in the South, including whites and African Americans, had the opportunity to work on land independently without having to submit to harsh discipline or supervision in some cases.

In the Cotton Fields of Georgia, Library of Congress

Frequently, however there were inequitable contracts, violence from landowners, and Black codes regulating employment. Laborers rarely earned more than what was necessary to pay off debts accumulated.

While a labor contract gave the appearance of a new economic system, sharecropping became known as “slavery by a new name.” Despite the passage of the 13th Amendment, African Americans remained locked in a new type of slavery under sharecropping.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Convict Lease System in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!