Which system describes tenants working land owned by others in exchange for a share of the crops?

• A. Sharecropping
• B. Indentured servitude
• C. Tenant farming
• D. Convict leasing

Answer: (A)

Sharecropping is the system in which tenants work land owned by someone else and give a portion of the crop to the landowner as rent. The landowner typically provides land, tools, seed, and housing, while the tenant supplies the labor to plant and harvest. At harvest, a set share goes to the landowner and the remainder is kept by the tenant. This arrangement became common in the post–Civil War South and often trapped farmers in debt because they relied on local stores for supplies and faced fluctuating crop prices and yields. Indentured servitude involves a fixed-term labor contract, not tied to crops; convict leasing used prison labor; tenant farming can involve cash rent or crop shares, but the defining feature here is the share of the harvest given as rent.