What is a sharecropper in the south usually needed to do?

A sharecropper in the South typically worked on land owned by someone else, providing labor in exchange for a share of the crop produced. They often had to purchase supplies and equipment on credit, which meant they were frequently in debt to landowners or local merchants. This system entrenched economic dependency and limited the sharecropper's ability to achieve financial independence. Sharecroppers were predominantly African American, especially in the post-Civil War era, and faced significant social and economic challenges.