Shareholders and sharecroppers are both known by the term “rent,” a term that began before the Civil War when farmers worked on farms they did not own. Tenants pay back in cash or part of their harvest. With no land, sharecroppers started to appear, but people owned farm implements; some had slaves. Freedmen also had to find a means of earning a living. Renting out was exploitative because land farmers paid almost half of all crops to landowners. Renters also spend more than half of their time paying off debts to home furnishing retailers. Premium merchandise attracts over 50% interest each year. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration, after paying subsidies to landowners, caused rents to drop, reducing the need for equity holdings.