Final answer:
Former slaves planted crops like corn, potatoes, tobacco, peanuts, sugar, watermelons, and pumpkins for their sustenance and to gain some economic independence after emancipation, often under the 'forty acres and a mule' policy established by General Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15. Many became sharecroppers due to difficulties in acquiring land.
Step-by-step explanation:
After emancipation, former slaves began to plant crops both for their sustenance and for economic purposes. According to Johan Bolzius's observations from the mid-18th century, once their obligatory work was completed, they cultivated a variety of plants on Sundays when they could work for themselves. These included corn, potatoes, tobacco, peanuts, sugar, watermelons, and pumpkins and bottle pumpkins. They utilized the land provided to them through initiatives like Special Field Order No. 15, also known as the "forty acres and a mule" policy, to plant these crops. This order, issued by General Sherman, set aside confiscated land for resettlement by freed slaves and was a key step towards agricultural independence for African Americans in the post-Civil War era.
Beyond their own subsistence farming, former slaves faced challenges such as lack of access to buy land, which led many to become sharecroppers, sharing a part of their harvest with the landowner as rent. Despite these obstacles, the freedpeople strived for agricultural self-reliance, reflecting their resilience and determination to build a life beyond slavery. Their efforts contributed to the development of a distinctive African American farming culture, integrating crops with roots in African traditions.