Question

Which of the following BEST describes the practice of sharecropping?

A. Land is bought by a group of families pooling their money and farming together.
B. Land is given to a farmer who, in return, promises to give some of the crops to other families.
C. Land is rented to a farmer who pledges a certain percentage of the crops to the landowner.
D. Land is sold to a farmer who will own the land after farming it for a certain number of years.

Answer 1

Sharecropping is the practice of renting land from a landowner and paying the rent with a share of the crops grown. It disadvantaged the farmers and limited economic development in the South.

Step-by-step explanation:

The practice of sharecropping can be described as follows:

1. Land is rented to a farmer who pledges a certain percentage of the crops to the landowner.

Under this system, freed people and some landless white citizens would rent land from landowners and pay their rent with a share of the crops they grew. This often amounted to as much as half of their harvest. Sharecropping was disadvantageous for the farmers as they were unable to attain independent livelihoods and often became trapped in a cycle of debt. This practice severely limited economic development and ensured that the South remained an agricultural backwater.