A Day's Wages


This file appears in: Cotton
A Day's Wages

Prior to the Civil War, slaves brought their pickings to the gin at the end of the day to be weighed. After achieving their freedom, many African Americans continued to work in the fields but for pay, and the weighing system remained. Landowners used scales such as the one in this picture to determine how much to pay laborers at the end of each day.


This file appears in: Cotton