Material Detail

Teach students about sharecropping by providing context to the situation. Review slavery, the 13th amendment, and discuss what that now means for African Americans in the South. After going over a brief background period, have students read the contract between Andrew Milton and John Dawson (1871). Students will then answer guiding questions based on the sharecropping contract to gain a better understanding as to the conditions and unfairness of sharecropping. After students have some sort of idea as to the conditions of sharecropping, have the students run a quick simulation. Given their current debts (listed off to the left -clothing, food, medicine, etc) see if the students can earn enough to make any sort of profit. Give students 30 seconds to make as many tally marks as possible. Then multiple this number by 2 and see if the students are able to profit off of it or simply remain in debt. The first one should be a bit easier just to get the students in the flow. The second one is much more difficult and most will fail at that. Students will see how difficult it was to for African Americans in the South to make any sort of money off of this new system. Discuss how these conditions are similar to slavery. 

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