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I thought this was interesting. It is a copy of a sharecropping agreement many blacks signed once they were free. They agreed to rent land from wealthy owners in return for a portion of the crop. Many blacks were unable to read when they signed these contracts and were unaware of the terms. This specific contract requires the lessor to furnish the mule, land, and other supplies up front and the lessee to pay for them later. It also forces the lessee to gin the cotton on the lessor's farm and is forced to pay a higher price to do so. Contracts like these were made to keep blacks poor. It was a way to keep the blacks thinking they were free, but in the end, working for nothing.