Tenant Farming and Sharecropping

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Many things changed during the Reconstruction period and when the slaves became free. Former slaves needed jobs to support themselves and their families. Sharecropping and tenant farming was the answer for the latest problems. There were both negatives and positives to sharecropping and tenant farming, but everyone had their opinions on this solution. The whites had strong opinions on freed African Americans getting their own land. The sharecropping and tenant farming was a better societal solution for the time being. This solution helped with both the former slaves, but eventually the former slaves wanted their own land.
Both whites and former slaves had their opinions on why they didn’t care for sharecropping or tenant farming. In the structure of of sharecropping, landowners split their land up between each worker, along with giving them seed and tools. The former slaves would have to give the landowners part of their profits that were made, meaning they couldn’t keep all the money made from the crops to help support themselves and their families. In the structure of tenant farming, former slaves would rent land for cash from the landowners. In tenant farming, former slaves could rent a piece of land, but they had to find the money to pay for the rent. In both sharecropping and tenant farming, former slaves still felt like slaves, the only difference being that the landowners didn’t have as much control over them. Now that whites didn’t “own” slaves they had to pay workers to harvest their crops, which they had trouble doing.
Along with the negatives of sharecropping and tenant farming, there were some positives. Freed African Americans would have trouble getting jobs but landowners needed help to harvest their crops because they no longer had their slaves to do it. Sharecropping gave the freed African Americans a chance to get a job and make due until they can find another one that would help support them. In tenant farming, former slaves were able to afford their own tools because they were able to keep all their harvest. They had their own piece of land that they rented from a landowner, which was theirs to use until they didn’t pay the rent. Landowners are looking at sharecropping and tenant farming in a positive light because they are getting money by renting off their land or getting have of their harvests.
Eventually, the freed African Americans wanted their own land and thought that they deserved it.

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