In class on Wednesday, we watched a video on Jim Crow Laws. These were laws that help back blacks from having the same rights as whites. They could not ride the same trains, live in the same areas, use the same restaurants or bathrooms, and even limited schools and jobs. These laws held back African Americans from practicing the rights they just obtained. They were used to keep whites in control. In class on Thursday, we learned about sharecropping. Wealthy farm owners would hire people to work on their plantations. In return, they gave them food, shelter in clothing. Most of the time, it was former slaves that had no other option but to work on these farms. Many of these workers were in debt to their planters and signed unfair contracts. As a result, the workers were often forced to stay at these plantations, working forever for their planters. This was much like slavery.