Question

document 1: sharecropping contract (1866) original source here thomas j. ross agrees to employ the freedman who sign below to plant and raise a crop on his rossstown plantation. on the following rules and regulations: freedmens labor in harvesting, carrying to market and selling the same, the said freedmen will plant, cultivate, and raise in good faith, a cotton, corn and oat crop under the management of superintendent ross. and said freedmen agrees to furnish ourselves & families in provisions, clothing, medicine, and medical bills and all and every other kind of expenses that we may incur on said plantation for the year 1866 free of charge to said ross. should ross furnish us any of the above supplies or any kinds of expenses, during said year, are to settle and pay him out of the net proceeds of our part of the crop the retail price of the county at time of sale or any price we may agree upon. the said ross shall keep a regular book account... to be adjusted and settled at the end of the year. we furthermore bind ourselves to and with said ross that we will do good work and labor day on an average, winter and summer. the time to run the time we commence to the time ten hours a day excepted. in sickness and we will lose all lost time, or pay at the rate of one dollar per day. we furthermore agree that we will keep a sufficient stock of firewood hauled up at all times and make fires in the room of ross, when desired, attend to all stock properly, under direction of said ross. commence: begin enclosures: area that is sealed off freedmen (former slaves now working as sharecroppers) cultivate: to farm or grow assessed: determine the value of document 1 - document analysis questions: 1) close reading: based on this document, what do you think sharecropping was? how do you think the sharecropping system worked? 2) sourcing and contextualization: keeping in mind that this contract was written soon after slaves were freed, who do you think often wrote sharecropping documents, such as this one? how could this have led to abuses of power? 3) close reading and analysis: the first line of the document states that this document is for the
ossstown plantation.\ what do you think the significance was of continuing to use the word plantation, despite abolishing slavery? 4) close reading and analysis: how does the contract limit the freedoms of freedmen? 5) close reading and analysis: compared to the institution of slavery, what kinds of benefits does this agreement provide to freedmen? 6) analysis: how does this system of sharecropping keep freedmen in debt? 7) analysis: who do you think benefited most from the system of sharecropping? did sharecropping help america achieve healing and/or justice, or neither healing or justice? why?

Explanation:

1. The sharecropping system involved freedmen cultivating land for a land - owner (Ross). Freedmen provided labor and in return, they received a share of the crop. However, they also had to pay for supplies and other expenses which often led to debt.
2. The contract was written soon after slavery was abolished. It shows a transition from a slave - based labor system to a sharecropping one. The use of the word "plantation" despite slavery being abolished indicates a continuation of some pre - emancipation economic and social structures.
3. The power dynamics were skewed in favor of Ross. He set the rules, provided supplies at a cost, and could deduct expenses from the freedmen's share of the crop proceeds. This could lead to abuses of power such as over - charging for supplies or unfair deductions.
4. The contract limited freedoms as freedmen were bound to the plantation for the year, had to follow Ross's orders, and were responsible for damages to his property. Compared to slavery, while they were legally free, they still had many restrictions on their movement and economic independence.
5. The benefits for freedmen were limited. They did have the opportunity to work for themselves to some extent and earn a living, but the high cost of supplies and potential for debt often kept them in a precarious economic situation.
6. Sharecropping often kept freedmen in debt due to high - priced supplies, unfair accounting practices, and the fact that they had to pay for any damages or losses. This debt cycle made it difficult for them to achieve economic independence.
7. It is difficult to say that sharecropping helped America achieve healing or justice. While it was a step away from slavery, it maintained a system of economic dependence and power imbalance that continued to oppress freedmen.

Answer:

1. Based on the document, the sharecropping system worked by freedmen cultivating land provided by Ross. They were to plant and raise a crop, and in return, they would receive a share of the crop's proceeds after Ross deducted expenses for supplies, clothing, medicine, etc. They were also bound to the plantation for the year and had to follow Ross's orders.
2. The people who likely wrote sharecropping documents like this were landowners such as Ross. They had the power to set the terms of the agreement, which often led to abuses of power as they could over - charge for supplies, make unfair deductions, and enforce strict rules that limited the freedmen's economic and personal freedoms.
3. The first line of the document mentions "Ross's plantation." Despite slavery being abolished, the use of the word "plantation" suggests a continuation of the pre - emancipation economic and social structures that revolved around large - scale agricultural production with a hierarchical labor system.
4. The contract limited the freedoms of freedmen in several ways. They were bound to the plantation for the year and had to obey Ross's orders. They were also responsible for damages to Ross's property and had to pay for supplies and other expenses out of their share of the crop proceeds, which could lead to debt and economic dependence. Compared to slavery, while they were legally free, they still had many restrictions on their movement and economic independence.
5. The agreement provided some limited benefits to freedmen. They had the opportunity to work for themselves and earn a living by growing a crop. However, these benefits were overshadowed by the high cost of supplies, potential for debt, and the power imbalance in the relationship with Ross.
6. This system of sharecropping kept freedmen in debt because they had to pay for supplies (such as clothing, medicine, and farming tools) provided by Ross. The cost of these supplies, along with any damages or losses they were held responsible for, were deducted from their share of the crop proceeds. This often left them with little or no profit, and in some cases, in debt to Ross.
7. Sharecropping did not help America achieve healing or justice. It maintained a system of economic dependence and power imbalance that continued to oppress freedmen. While it was a step away from slavery, the debt cycle and restrictions on freedmen's economic and personal freedoms meant that true equality and justice were not achieved.