Final answer:
Enslaved individuals were sometimes given small patches of land to grow food, which they could consume or sell for personal gain or to potentially buy freedom. Post-emancipation, freed people often faced difficulties in achieving economic independence, with many becoming sharecroppers due to limited opportunities to purchase land outright.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enslaved individuals were given certain limited rights regarding land and food. After their mandatory day's work, some were granted small patches of land on which they could grow food like corn, potatoes, and other crops. This cultivation typically took place during their scant free time, such as Sundays. While not every enslaved person had this opportunity, and those that did would not have been given large plots or money directly, they could indeed grow their own food on these small patches. In some cases, they were allowed to sell any surplus from their gardens, provide for their own sustenance, or even save up in the hopes of purchasing their freedom or that of their relatives. However, it's crucial to understand that these 'rights' were not uniformly distributed and were often determined by individual enslavers' policies.
During the post-slavery era, the struggle for economic independence was challenging. Freed people often worked as sharecroppers or sought land to rent since opportunities to buy land outright were limited. They could pay for rented land by providing a portion of the crops they raised. The quest for autonomy, land ownership, and self-sufficiency was a central aspiration among freed individuals following emancipation, though achieving these goals proved difficult due to systemic barriers and economic exploitation.