African-American Tenant Farmer Photographs, Clarksville, Virginia, c. 1920 (Ms2009-110)
Dates
- Creation: c.1920-1930
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the African-American Tenant Farmer Photographs, Clarksville, Virginia, must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Historical Information
Sharecropping and tenant farming were both developed after the abolition of slavery. Without a task force of slaves, it was difficult for individuals to farm large areas. In order to benefit both the former slave and the landowner, the owner would rent a piece of his or her land to a tenant for a price that was, many times, half of the crop or a significant amount of money. Farming was an unpredictable income, proving problematic for tenant farmers if their crops failed.
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains six black and white photographs of a tenant farm in Clarksville, Virginia.
Abstract
These photographs depict the conditions of a tenant farmer known as Aaron working a piece of land on the John T. Lewis, Jr., estate in Clarksville, Virginia. These photographs, taken around 1930, show the conditions in which tenant farmers lived and worked during the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to improve the conditions of farmers around the country with his New Deal legislation, making parity payments to landowners who were then expected to share these payments with their tenants; however, some of these landowners took the opportunity to keep the money for themselves. By the late 1930s, nearly forty per cent of all farmers were tenant farmers.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu