Question

Which agricultural system emerged in the South after the Civil War when planters needed workers and freedmen needed jobs. The landlord allows a tenant to use the land in exchange for a share of the crop. It often resulted in the tenant owing a debt to the landlord which tied them to the land–resulting in an economic form of slavery. What is this agricultural system called?

1) Sharecropping
2) Plantation farming
3) Subsistence farming
4) Commercial farming

Answer 1

The agricultural system called sharecropping arose in the South after the Civil War, trapping many freedmen and poor whites in a cycle of debt and economic dependency.

Step-by-step explanation:

The agricultural system that emerged in the South after the Civil War, where planters needed workers and freedmen needed jobs, is called sharecropping. In this system, the landlord allowed a tenant to use the land in exchange for a share of the crops produced. However, sharecroppers often ended up in a cycle of debt with their landlords, due in part to the crop-lien system, which placed them in an economically vulnerable position, similar to an economic form of slavery. High interest rates from creditors, and the requirement to pay off multiple debts before receiving any income from their harvest, ensured that sharecroppers remained tied to the land with little opportunity for economic advancement or land ownership.