Aligned with Grades 7 – 8
Louisiana Believes Standards:
Social Study Standards
7.4.3 Describe long-term and short-term outcomes of Reconstruction
7.6.4 Explain how differences in land use influenced cultural characteristics among regions in the United States from 1763–1877
8.2.6 Identify and describe economic, social, and political characteristics of Louisiana during the Antebellum/plantation economy, the Civil War, and the Reconstruction eras
45 minutes
Location: Oakland or Magnolia Store
Description
This lesson will allow students in groups to understand the financial hardship of sharecropping.
Objectives
- Students can identify that working as a sharecropper or day laborer did not allow workers to get ahead
- Students can identify the types of purchases made by sharecroppers and day laborers at the plantation store
- Students can recognize that sharecroppers often had more debt than day laborers.
Resources / Teacher Pre-Work
- Game parts: Character Information, Brown bags, wage papers
- Worksheet 1 per group
- Reflection papers, 1 per student
- Pencils
- Calculators
Introduction
- Ranger makes a connection to what they have learned about sharecropping already that day if relevant (ex: If they have visited the Slave/Tenant Cabin already).
- Give background on Sharecropping, Explain to students the purpose of the store during the Sharecropping Era
Simulation
- Have students divide into smaller groups we have (6) characters so divide them accordingly. You may omit or double characters to make groups even.
- Have groups choose a volunteer to read their profile out loud so everyone can hear about each of the characters.
- Hand out Budget paper and explain, “People worked hard on these plantations even after slavery because they needed a way to provide for themselves and their families. Their goal was to save up money so they could afford land of their own. You will be drawing purchases out of a bag and recording them in the family’s budget, once you’ve totaled up how much you’ve spent for the year you will see what salary you made. This is very similar to how sharecroppers lived because they bought on credit all year and didn’t know how much money they made until after the cotton was harvested.”
- Ask students to “Now, I want you to take a second and think about what kinds of things families in 1900s would come to this store and buy.” Give them a few seconds. “Ok, turn to your group members and tell them what kind of things you think your family would need to purchase.” Give them a minute or two. “Who wants to share what they think they need to buy?” Listen as students share, once a few have shared, “Now you will discover what your characters purchased and how much of their wages they spent (here/ in a store like).”
- Pass out brown paper bags to appropriate groups. Students will work independently until all recording and calculating is finished.
- Once students are finished, “Now that everyone is done, I will read your wages, and you will record them on your budget.” Read and show the group the salaries and hand them to their groups so they have them for reference. The students should finish calculations and see if they made money or are in debt to the store.
- “Now that you know whether or not you’re in debt to the store and by how much, talk to other groups and see if they have money in savings or a debt, ask them what type of worker they are too.”
- Call everyone back together and pass out reflection papers.
- If you’re short on time, ask the teacher if she would rather you send the papers with her. Then do a verbal reflection by reading the paper and having a few students answer.
References Miller, C. E. (2004).
Slavery and Its Aftermath: The Archaeological and Historical Record at Magnolia Plantation (Unpublished master's thesis). The Florida State University.
