How was labor reconfigured in the South?

Labor in the South was reconfigured primarily through the transition from slavery to sharecropping and tenant farming after the Civil War. Freed African Americans sought economic independence but often found themselves trapped in exploitative arrangements that perpetuated poverty and dependency. Sharecropping allowed landowners to maintain control over labor while providing former slaves with minimal compensation and little opportunity for advancement. This system reinforced racial and economic hierarchies that persisted well into the 20th century.