What agricultural practice involved African Americans farming land owned by others for a share of the crops?

Sharecropping is the agricultural practice in which African Americans, often newly freed from slavery, farmed land that belonged to someone else in exchange for a share of the crops produced. This system emerged in the Southern United States after the Civil War as a means for landowners to cultivate their land while providing African Americans with a way to sustain themselves economically.

In sharecropping, landowners would provide tenants with access to land, seed, and tools, but the arrangement often left the sharecroppers in a cycle of debt due to high prices for supplies and interest rates, leading to limited economic mobility. This practice became a widespread labor system in the South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, profoundly affecting the social and economic dynamics of the region.

Understanding sharecropping is essential as it highlights the challenges faced by African Americans in the post-Civil War era, illustrating how systemic issues continued to perpetuate inequality and economic hardship.