Question

Which statement best describes most African American sharecroppers of the 1800s?

1. They used crop proceeds to pay rent to white landowners.
2. They combined their money to buy farmland from whites.
3. They used farm profits to buy supplies and stay out of debt.
4. They gained wealth by renting their farmland to white peasants.

Answer 1

African American sharecroppers of the 1800s typically used crop proceeds to pay rent to white landowners, trapped in a cycle of debt and economic dependency due to sharecropping and the crop-lien system. The correct option is 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that best describes most African American sharecroppers of the 1800s is that they used crop proceeds to pay rent to white landowners. Sharecropping was a widespread practice after the Civil War, particularly in the South, where many African Americans and some white citizens who were landless entered into sharecropping agreements.

Under this system, sharecroppers, who were often former slaves, worked the land and paid their rent in the form of a share of their crops, which frequently amounted to a significant portion of their harvest. This arrangement kept many sharecroppers in a state of economic dependency and a cycle of debt due to the lack of opportunities to purchase land and the crop-lien system, making it nearly impossible for them to attain independent livelihoods.