"The Sugar Harvest in Louisiana," Harper's Weekly, October 30, 1875.

"The Sugar Harvest in Louisiana,"
Harper's Weekly, October 30, 1875.

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Documenting the Louisiana Sugar Harvest

Learn more about the history of sugar in Louisiana

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Sugar workers continued to labor in closely supervised gangs after the Civil War. The system persisted because each plantation had its own steam-powered sugar mill that required a large crop and labor force to insure economic viability.

An influx of Northern capital allowed sugar planters to pay their workers in cash, but conflicts between owners and workers arose over wages and discipline.
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A New Birth of Freedom: Reconstruction During the Civil War he Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction Introduction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue: The Unfinished Revolution Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit