What is sharecroppin g?

Sharecropping is an agricultural system where landowners allow tenants to farm their land in exchange for a share of the crops produced. Typically, the landowner provides the land, tools, and sometimes seeds, while the sharecropper does the labor. This arrangement often led to a cycle of debt for the sharecroppers, as they frequently had to borrow money for supplies and ended up giving a large portion of their harvest to the landowner. Sharecropping was particularly prevalent in the Southern United States after the Civil War, impacting the economic landscape and social dynamics of the region.