Agriculture System in the Southern United States
What were the main crops and labor systems used in the rice kingdoms of South Carolina and Georgia, Louisiana's sugar plantations, and the cotton and tobacco regions of Virginia and North Carolina?
a) Indigo; Cotton; Rice
b) Cotton; Indigo; Tobacco
c) Rice; Cotton; Indigo
d) Tobacco; Rice; Cotton
Answer:
The task system survived in the rice kingdoms of South Carolina and Georgia, while wage labor was preferred in Louisiana's sugar plantations. Sharecropping came to dominate in the cotton and tobacco regions of Virginia and North Carolina.
Explanation:
In the rice kingdoms of South Carolina and Georgia, the task system was used for organizing labor. Under the task system, enslaved individuals were assigned specific tasks or quotas to complete each day. Once they completed their assigned tasks, they were allowed to have free time for themselves. This system was common in rice cultivation, where tasks such as planting, weeding, and harvesting required specific expertise.
In contrast, Louisiana's sugar plantations relied on wage labor. Plantation owners in Louisiana preferred to hire workers on a wage basis, paying them for their labor rather than assigning them specific tasks. This was partly due to the nature of sugar production, which required continuous and intensive labor throughout the year.
In the cotton and tobacco regions of Virginia and North Carolina, sharecropping became the dominant labor system. Sharecropping involved a contract between the landowner and the tenant farmer, where the tenant would rent a portion of land and provide a share of the crop as payment. This system allowed individuals who did not own land to cultivate crops and share the profits with the landowner. Sharecropping became prevalent in the aftermath of the Civil War when many formerly enslaved individuals lacked resources to acquire land of their own.
Final answer:
The statement is correctly completed as 'Rice survived in the rice kingdoms of South Carolina and Georgia, while cotton was preferred in Louisiana's sugar plantations. The correct answer to this question is c) Rice; Cotton; Tobacco.