Sharecropping is usually described as a process that unfairly benefits a landowner while putting a tenant at a disadvantage. Give at least three examples of challenges that tenants faced in the sharecropping system.

Answer:

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: First and foremost, tenants did not own land or the crops they grew in a sharecropping system. Tenants often were forced to hand their crops over to the landowner, who would sell the crops and share a small portion of the profits with the tenant. Secondly, tenants were at the mercy of the market. They often overproduced crops to try making a profit on their own, which contributed to overblown supplies and falling prices. Finally, tenants often struggled with failing crops, failing land, and poor weather. Faced with debt to their landowners, tenants would be pressured to overcome these challenges while sometimes making choices that made the problem worse.