Sharecropping

Real World Example

After the Civil War, many freed slaves and poor white farmers in the South had no land or money, so they turned to sharecropping as a way to make a living. Sharecropping allowed these tenants to farm land owned by someone else in exchange for a portion of the crops they grew. This system was important because it provided a way for landowners to maintain farming operations without paying wages and for tenants to have a place to live and farm. However, it often kept sharecroppers in a cycle of debt and poverty, as they had to borrow supplies at high interest rates and sometimes received less money than they needed to pay off their debts. Today, the idea of being stuck in cycles of debt can relate to things like credit card debt or student loans, where people might struggle to pay back what they owe, affecting their financial freedom and opportunities.