Overview
Southern economic problems are largely based on allocation of land. White wealthy southerners took charge of half of land while the rest of white southerners competed with black southerners for the other half of land. Although General Sherman and Radical Republicans attempted to solve the problem, freedmen were still less likely to gain land. Landowners did not have much money for supplies and workers. Therefore, systems of sharing land emerged.
There were several major systems of sharing land. Share-tenancy describes when the farmworker chose and bought what he planted and shared it with the landowner, thus controlled the cost. Sharecropping was a system where landowners rent houses and land to the planters. After the harvest, landowners took the crops to market and shared with tenants. This system made it hard for sharecroppers to escape from debt and poverty. Compared with share-tenancy, tenant farming has a different concept. Tenant farming was a system where tenants paid cash to landowners and had rights to choose what he wanted to plant or live.
There were several major systems of sharing land. Share-tenancy describes when the farmworker chose and bought what he planted and shared it with the landowner, thus controlled the cost. Sharecropping was a system where landowners rent houses and land to the planters. After the harvest, landowners took the crops to market and shared with tenants. This system made it hard for sharecroppers to escape from debt and poverty. Compared with share-tenancy, tenant farming has a different concept. Tenant farming was a system where tenants paid cash to landowners and had rights to choose what he wanted to plant or live.
Important Characters
John Dawson (Unknown)
He presents as a typical sharecropper who agreed to sign contracts with landlords. These contracts were designed to keep people as Dawson poor and under landowners’ control. Dawson had to guard the land first and cultivated crops such as cotton properly, whereas he could not quit before the expiration of lease or sell the products he planted. If the landowners would like to add supplies, he was required to pay for them. If Dawson was unable to make the payment, his property would be sold for paying for the landowners. His bitter experience reflects the truth of sharecropping system.
He presents as a typical sharecropper who agreed to sign contracts with landlords. These contracts were designed to keep people as Dawson poor and under landowners’ control. Dawson had to guard the land first and cultivated crops such as cotton properly, whereas he could not quit before the expiration of lease or sell the products he planted. If the landowners would like to add supplies, he was required to pay for them. If Dawson was unable to make the payment, his property would be sold for paying for the landowners. His bitter experience reflects the truth of sharecropping system.
Important place
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/9/0/17900501/9238226.jpg?429)
The Corn crib and tool shed used by sharecroppers
It was in Cobb County, Georgia from 1870s to around 1890. Full of corn products and agricultural tools were placed inside the crib or shed. Weeds grow around the house. Southern landlords and sharecroppers were closely involved in this place. At that time, sharecropping system made sharecroppers barely escaped from debt and poverty, which means sharecroppers always had to work for landowners. An increasing percentage of sharecroppers appeared from 1880 to 1910. It’s an important place since the crib and tool indicates how sharecropping system becomes a burden that is impossible to escape.
It was in Cobb County, Georgia from 1870s to around 1890. Full of corn products and agricultural tools were placed inside the crib or shed. Weeds grow around the house. Southern landlords and sharecroppers were closely involved in this place. At that time, sharecropping system made sharecroppers barely escaped from debt and poverty, which means sharecroppers always had to work for landowners. An increasing percentage of sharecroppers appeared from 1880 to 1910. It’s an important place since the crib and tool indicates how sharecropping system becomes a burden that is impossible to escape.
Artifact
![Picture](/uploads/1/7/9/0/17900501/4918956.jpg?440)
A photograph of a cotton picker in Lauderdale Country, 1890.
It was once used for a photography gallery and found in Americans’ newspaper or other media sources at that time. It gives a proof that cotton was the primary crop for sharecroppers and share-cropping is one of systems to share land from landowners.
It was once used for a photography gallery and found in Americans’ newspaper or other media sources at that time. It gives a proof that cotton was the primary crop for sharecroppers and share-cropping is one of systems to share land from landowners.