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Businesses & Occupations
Author Unknown
I. African-American Occupations
"The most popular African-American occupation was
farming, usually cotton with other crops to supplement earnings or to use
for home use. Some owned their own acreage; others sharecropped or 'havers,'
sharing half the proceeds of the crop with the land owner. Many land owners
had difficulty holding their family plots over time. Family lands were lost
through tax collection, loan collection, and outright purchase.
After the Civil War, labor prices were set for the year, working from
sunrise to sunset: First Class--$150, Second Class--$125, and Third
Class-$100. Women earned the following: First Class--$100, Second Class-$85,
and Third Class-$70.
Some African-Americans worked for the railroad, at sawmills, with timber for
the Civilian Conservation Corps, and at other various local businesses."
Businesses & Occupations, page two
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