Henry Blake, Freedman from Arkansas on sharecropping
“When we worked on shares, we couldn’t make nothing, just overalls and something to eat. Half went to the other man and you would destroy your half, if you weren’t careful. A man that didn’t know how to count would always lose. He might lose anyhow. They didn’t give no itemized statement. No, you just had to take their word. They never give you no details. No matter how good account you kept, you had to go by their account… you better not leave him, you better not try to leave and get caught. They’d keep you in debt…Anything that kept you a slave because he was always right and you were always wrong if there was a difference.”
Question 1
What was a common outcome for sharecroppers according to the quote?(1 point)