Why Did the South Have Such a Difficult Time Restoring

question 52

Essay

Why did the South have such a difficult time restoring its economy? How did sharecropping reduce many African Americans to permanent tenant-farmer status?

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Definitions:

All-Water Route

A navigational path that is exclusively through bodies of water, often sought for trade, exploration, or military purposes to avoid land-based challenges.

Black Slavery

The forced labor and enslavement of African people and their descendants, predominantly in the Americas, from the 16th to the 19th century.

Portuguese

Relating to Portugal or its people, language, or culture.

Marco Polo's Travels

The journeys of the Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo in the late 13th century, which are famously documented in "The Travels of Marco Polo," describing his experiences in Asia.