Final answer:
After slavery was abolished in the South, they relied on sharecropping as a cheap labor source for agricultural work. Sharecropping involved freed people renting land from white landowners and paying for their use through a portion of the crops they grew.
Step-by-step explanation:
After slavery was abolished in the South, they relied on sharecropping as a cheap labor source for agricultural work. Sharecropping involved freed people renting land from white landowners and paying for their use through a portion of the crops they grew. Unfortunately, sharecropping often resulted in a cycle of debt and economic dependence, limiting the ability of freed people to attain independent livelihoods.