Which agricultural system emerged in the South after the Civil War, involving land worked by tenants for a share of the crops?

• A. Sharecropping
• B. Tenant farming
• C. Plantation agriculture
• D. Barter system

Answer: (A)

The agricultural system that emerged in the South after the Civil War, where land was worked by tenants in exchange for a share of the crops produced, is sharecropping. This system developed as a response to the socioeconomic changes and labor shortages that occurred after the war, particularly with the abolition of slavery.

In sharecropping, landowners would provide land, tools, and seed to the workers, who in return would cultivate the land and share a portion of the crop yield with the owners. This arrangement allowed many freed African Americans and poor white farmers to work the land without having to buy or lease it outright. However, sharecropping often led to a cycle of debt and dependency, as many tenants found themselves unable to pay off their debts to the landowners.

Tenant farming, while similar, typically involved those who rented land more independently, paying for the land rather than sharing the crop itself, which sets it apart from sharecropping. Plantation agriculture and the barter system do not align with the specific scenario of post-Civil War agricultural labor structures in this context.