Final answer:
Sharecroppers had to sign contracts with the landowner, which often led to a cycle of debt and economic exploitation under the crop-lien system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sharecroppers in the period after the Civil War had to sign contracts with the landowner. These contracts often placed sharecroppers in a vulnerable position, trapping them in a cycle of debt with little opportunity to improve their economic standing.
This arrangement was part of the crop-lien system, where sharecroppers paid their rent with shares of their crops and were usually forced to buy supplies on credit, further indebting them to the landowner.
The Freedmen's Bureau did try to mitigate some of these injustices, by providing courts where African Americans could seek redress, but overall, the system favored the landlords and preserved an exploitative relationship reminiscent of the slavery that the recently freed individuals had just escaped.