Question

In the year 1872, I, Thomas Jackson, agree to work the fields of Mr. William Carter on his plantation in Coweta County. Mr. Carter will provide the land, a mule, and seeds. I will plant and harvest cotton on 10 acres. When the harvest is sold, I will receive one-third of the profits, and Mr. Carter will receive the rest. I understand that I must purchase food and supplies for my family from Mr. Carter’s store and pay any debts before receiving my share.”

Source: Adapted from a business contract in Georgia, 1870



Which statement BEST describes how the system shown in this scenario reflects Georgia’s economy during Reconstruction?



A.
Freedmen and landowners are entering into a system where workers are paid fixed wages for their labor on plantations.

B.
Freedmen and landowners are entering into a sharecropping system where profits are divided, often leaving workers in debt.

C.
Freedmen are entering into a tenant farming system where they receive land as payment and become independent farmers.

D.
Landowners are entering into a system where they are required by law to give freedmen equal shares of all profits made on the plantation.

Answer 1

B.

This describes sharecropping: freedmen and landowners agreed to divide crop proceeds (here one-third to the worker, two-thirds to the landowner) while the landowner provided land, mule, and supplies on credit — a system that often trapped sharecroppers in debt. Choices A, C, and D are inaccurate (A describes wage labor, C describes more-independent tenant farming, and D is not a legal requirement).