Sharecropping!

Sharecropping: An overview

What is sharecropping? In essence, an old plantation was completely transformed. After the Reconstruction, many African-Americans were "forced" back onto the land and had to work for their former master. The workers would receive a percentage of the crop that was produced. However, during Reconstruction, the old plantation owners, who had recently become landlords, kept the pay so minimal that there was no escaping this system for the poor African Americans (and some very poor whites as well). On these farms, they were harshly segregated against.

Besides this, there was the "Crop-lien system" in which a merchant would give credit for food and harvesting supplies to a farmer and the merchant would get a part of his harvest. However, during this era, many merchants made it impossible to out of debt so that they could not get out of the system.


from: http://websupport1.citytech.cuny.edu/Faculty/pcatapano/lectures_us2/sharecropping.jpg

Details about Sharecropping
There are several reasons as to why sharecropping began:
1. As the book points out, sharecropping was developed because most Southern whites did not like the fact that slaves were freed. They wanted to do everything in their power to hinder them and sharecropping would be an ultimate way to bring them back into submission. Essentially, racial superiority.


From: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/people/pictures/sharecropper.jpg

2. The book fails to really bring to light one of the most important reasons that sharecropping developed. The south had no choice. The south's economy was completely based off of Cotton. Without slaves, the need for cotton was still present and workers were needed as well. Although perhaps treatment could have been better. Racial superiority and the need for workers in the south brought about Sharecropping.


There was almost a Tier system going on with Sharecropping.
The highest was a cash tenant who kept all of the crop.
Up 1 level was a share tenant who kept a large percentage of the crop. usually 2/3 or 3/4.
At the bottom: the Sharecropper, the worker

Theoretically, a worker could progress up the ranks if he accumulated enough equipment. Did this happen? no. There was a chance, but it never happened.



Primary Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/ps_delany2.html
This one is about the good treatment that the workers must be given, contrasting shows the kind of treatment that they must have been getting beforehand.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/ps_adams.html
This source shows the injustices in sharecropping.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/sharecrop/ps_dawson.html
This source is a contract for sharecroppers.



Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharecropping
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TE009.html
http://fcit.usf.edu/Florida/lessons/reconst/reconst1.htm
pbs.org