Introduction
Convict leasing was a penal labor hiring system in the southern parts of the United States.
It involved a collaboration of states and government entities with private parties such as corporations and plantations.
The government provided cheap prison labor to the entities while the entities were responsible for feeding, housing, and clothing the prisoners.
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The system was often characterized by corruption, violence, and corruption.
Thesis Statement
Convict leaving was one of the most exploitative and harshest labor systems in the American history.
Body
Convict leasing system started after the end of the American civil war in the mid-19th century.
The southern region was undergoing the reconstruction period due to the war, and therefore there was a high demand for labor.
Laws were passed limiting interstate movement of the Black population and to coerce them to work for the wealthy Whites.
The Blacks were often convicted of petty offenses thereby providing a vast pool of cheap labor.
The Southern States where this system was widely used included Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Alabama.
Convict system in these states provided more than half of the respective state government.
The private entities were able to maximize their profits and expand their operations.
The convict system proceeded up to the beginning of the 20th century when states started abolishing it.
It was finally abolished and outlawed by President Roosevelt in 1941.
Conclusion
Despite the harshness of the convict system, it led to an economic boom of the South in the reconstruction period.
The most remarkable hallmark of this system was the mobilization of legislative reforms on social justice.
Slave labor was abolished, and labor laws were reviewed.
The system also inspired the establishment of civil rights movements.
