Sharecropping was a labor system in which one person and their family grew crops for a large landowner. The landowner would allow them to purchase tools, fertilizer, seed, etc... on credit and when the crop was harvested, the sharecropper would receive a "share" of the crop. Often it was not enough to pay off their credit and the cycle began again. Often known as another form of slavery, but 2/3 of sharecroppers were white.