Write two or three sentences that describe why

sharecropping was so oppressive.

Be sure to include specific examples from the

lesson of challenges that sharecroppers faced.

Sample response : Sharecroppers always owned money. This kept them trapped on the land and their contracts.

Sharecropping was very oppressive because the sharecropper did not own any land, only received a fraction of the total crop that he produced, and the tools, and supplies that the he used to work the land were purchased on credit to a merchant.

This meant that when the sharecropper received his share of the crop, part of his share had to be used to pay off the debt with the merchant, leaving even less produce for the sharecropper's enjoyment.

The vast majority of sharecroppers were very poor, had few legal protections, and faced very high debts and discriminations. Many of them also faced violations to their civil rights like voter suppression.