Sharecropping and Tenant Farming
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Photograph of a Homestead home located in Georgia.
Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Photograph Collection, UA0004.
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From the collection of William Lamar Cawthon, Jr.'s estate county documents, a map lays out the estate for its Homestead petition.
Courtesy of Hargrett Library, William Lamar Cawthon, Jr. estate county documents.
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In a letter to the editor for The Carroll County newspaper, writer Amos Fairdeal responds to an article that was written against the act, and describes the features of the act that seem reasonable and those that seem "unconstitutional."
Courtesy of Georgia Newspaper Project, Georgia Historic Newspapers.
Following Reconstruction and the failure of land reform efforts in the South, two new systems developed: sharecropping and tenant farming. Sharecroppers were provided land, tools, mules, seed, cabins, and food, and in return they received between one-quarter and one-half of the crop. Unlike sharecroppers, tenants owned their tools and equipment and thus retained a larger share of their crop at season’s end. Though different, both systems favored landowners, leaving landless farmers at risk of debt and dependency. Sharecropping and tenant farming remained common practices until World War II (1941-45), when the mechanization of agriculture began to require fewer individuals to farm the land.