Sharecropper's Wife and Cabin near Jackson, Mississippi, June 1937

    Sharecropper's Wife and Cabin near Jackson, Mississippi, June 1937
    Courtesy of Library of Congress, Lange, Dorothea, "Sharecropper's cabin and sharecropper's wife. Ten miles south of Jackson, Mississippi," June 1937

    Description

    The sharecropping system that replaced slavery kept formerly enslaved people poor and unable to gain enough money to purchase any land. The conditions remained extreme oppressive, similar to that seen during the days of slavery. This photograph is of a sharecropper's cabin, with his wife out front. The photo was taken 10 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi.

    Source-Dependent Questions

    • Look closely at the photo. What do you notice about the living conditions of the sharecroppers?
    • Compare this photo with Young African Americans Picking Cotton and Family of Evicted Sharecroppers. What is similar between the photos? What is different? Describe the quality of life the people in these photos would have had.
    • How would sharecropping keep formerly enslaved people in poverty?

    Citation Information 

    Lange, Dorothea, "Sharecropper's cabin and sharecropper's wife. Ten miles south of Jackson, Mississippi," June 1937. Courtesy of Library of Congress

    Close

    Navigation