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Land of Cotton - King Cotton's Slaves (1936)

1936 · Short film · 8 min

  • Documentary
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Synopsis

Land of Cotton - King Cotton’s Slaves” (1936) is a black-and-white short newsreel film originally made as part of the “March of Time” newsreel program. This particular episode of the series takes an in depth look at the struggles of Black and white tenant sharecroppers and the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) in Arkansas during the New Deal Years. During this time, cotton production was heavily impacted by the New Deal's one-crop policy enforced by the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) which lead to even more poor working conditions for tenant sharecroppers and a rebellion that saw violence between sharecroppers and landlords. Film opens, opening credits and “March of Time” newsreel program opening sequence (0:09). Black and white men, women, children sharecroppers/ laborers tend to crop of cotton in cotton field (0:28). Living conditions: Wooden cabins/ shacks with tin roofs; Laborer family sits on decrepit mismatched furniture on porch, woman tends to food on stove while young children gather around (0:55). Three men (planter-landlords) wearing 1930s-era boater hats, suits talk together (1:08). Well-dressed planter-landlord speaks to laborer while he sits on his decrepit porch (1:12). About six young children share beds, quilts in cramped room (1:27). Text page discusses economic impact of Great Depression on cotton pricing/ sales (1:35). Bales of processed cotton sitting in warehouse (1:42). Aerial view of cotton field; black laborer operates horse pulled…

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Details

Running time
8 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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