Question

(a) One cause of the development shown is the end of slavery: planters needed labor but freed people had no land or money, so both sides made crop‑sharing and labor contracts.

(b) One purpose of the excerpt was to record and legalize the work agreement so the planter and the freedmen had clear terms about what work to do and how the crops and pay would be divided.

(c) One way this is significant for arguments about Reconstruction is that it shows many African Americans, though legally free, remained economically tied to white landowners by sharecropping and low pay, which limited their real independence during Reconstruction.

use simple words and be brief each section

Answer 1

(a) After slavery ended, planters needed workers but freed people had no land or money, so they made crop‑sharing and labor contracts.

(b) The excerpt’s purpose was to put the work agreement in writing and make clear who did the work, who supplied land or tools, and how crops and pay were shared.

(c) This matters for Reconstruction because it shows many Black people, though free by law, stayed tied to white landowners by sharecropping and low pay, so they were not fully independent.