Following the end of the Civil War, most freedmen and poor whites in the South earned a living through
agricultural labor, tenant farming, sharecropping, or as wage laborers. Many freedmen and poor whites had limited resources and land, so they often had to rely on working for others in order to earn a living. Some became sharecroppers, where they would rent land and pay the landowner a portion of their crop as rent. Others worked as tenant farmers, where they would pay rent in cash or crops to use someone else's land.
Additionally, some freedmen and poor whites worked as wage laborers on farms or in various industries such as mining, logging, or manufacturing. They would often face low wages, long hours, and difficult working conditions.
However, the economic opportunities for freedmen and poor whites were limited due to numerous factors. The legacy of slavery, discriminatory practices, and lack of access to education and resources made it challenging for them to improve their economic situation. Many were trapped in cycles of poverty and continued to face economic hardships in the years following the Civil War.