Let the Circle be Unbroken
By Mildred D. Taylor

Mississippi
Mississippis main crop is cotton.In the 30s, there were more black people than white people in Mississippi.Almost all black people in Mississippi worked on plantations.Slavery in Mississippi was officially abolished in 1833.The highest acreage recorded in Mississippi was in 1930 when 4.163 acres of cotton were planted.

The 1930s
The 30s was the start of the Great Depression.Money was scarce and a lot of people didnt have enough money to provide for their families.In the 30s, cotton was the main crop in the southern states.

Cotton
Cotton was the main cash crop in the south, and in some states, still is.Cotton takes about six months to ripen. After the cotton boll forms a square, it becomes a cotton flower, which then, over time, becomes an open boll and is ready to be picked.The cotton growing industry started in Virginia and spread south and west to Texas.

Cotton Farmers
Cotton farmers had to get up at dawn and didn't go to bed until dusk.

During the harvest season, they worked eighteen hours a day.

Kids skipped school in the spring to help plant the cotton.

In the fall, they also skipped school to harvest the cotton.

12 was the average age that kids dropped out of school to work full-time on the farm, or go to town to work.

Tools Needed
To grow cotton, you might need:A garden hoeA picker*A border strip / sprinklerA spindle or a brush stripper*A module builder

*Used to harvest the cotton

Cotton Farming
On plantations in the south, the minimum amount that was expected to be picked each day was 200 pounds.

Cotton is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.

Bibliography
http://www.thepastisablast.com/funfacts/fun_facts_1930s.htm http://www.mshistory.k12.ms.us/articles/224/economic-development-in-the-1930s-balance-agriculture-with-history http://www.ganyardhillfarm.com/barn_news/teaching-resources/cotton_facts/http://www.ehow.com/how_2053129_grow-cotton.htmlhttp://www.calcot.com/ourcotton.asp?flag=ourcottonhttp://www.ehow.com/how_2053133_harvest-cotton.htmlhttp://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215086/dailylife.htmhttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/In_what_year_was_slavery_abolished_in_mississippihttp://msucares.com/crops/cotton/index.htmlhttp://bbpbooks.teachingforchange.org/book/9780140348927