Final answer:
Rural African-American Southerners endured high unemployment, subsistence farming, and severe poverty during the Great Depression. They struggled with systemic racial discrimination, reduced farm wages, and limited opportunities to gain economic independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Most rural African-American Southerners faced severe economic hardships during the period of the Great Depression. With widespread unemployment rates reaching nearly 50 percent by 1932 for African Americans, many in rural areas turned to subsistence farming to survive after losing jobs or being evicted by landlords.
These hardships were exacerbated by systemic racial discrimination, which restricted employment opportunities and contributed to staggering poverty levels.
The Great Depression severely impacted agricultural workers as crop prices plummeted and sharecroppers, both Black and White, faced eviction and income loss.
Although advancements in agricultural techniques increased production, the decreased demand for crops led to falling commodity prices, making it difficult for farmers to pay off debts and mortgages, resulting in widespread foreclosures and bankruptcies.
Rural African Americans, who had limited access to credit and capital, found it extremely difficult to gain economic independence or purchase land, a situation made worse by racial discrimination from White populations needing the same jobs and resources.
Overall, the economic circumstances for these communities were dire, with few pathways out of the cycle of poverty and discrimination.