What was the most prevalent labor pattern in postbellum agriculture that emerged following the conclusion of the Civil War? In what ways did this labor system reflect the socio-economic transformations and the restructuring of society during that tumultuous era? To what extent did former slaves and their newfound roles in the agricultural landscape influence the labor dynamics, and how did landowners adapt their strategies to maintain productivity and profitability under changing circumstances? Moreover, how did the implementation of sharecropping and tenant farming systems contribute to the perpetuation of economic dependency and social stratification in the Southern agricultural economy? Were there regional variations in these labor patterns that reflected different economic conditions or cultural contexts? How did federal policies and local governance impact the labor relations that developed in the postbellum period? Considering these questions, what insights can we glean about the lasting implications of these labor patterns on contemporary agricultural practices and rural communities?