Activate students’ background knowledge and interest by asking them the following questions:

• What is the purpose of a contract?
• What kinds of information would you expect to find in a contract?
• If you were a laborer, what terms would you want to see in a contract?
• If you were an employer, what terms would you want to put in a contract?
• What makes a contract “fair”?

Have students read the Contract for Agricultural Laborers, Alabama, 1874. Depending on the reading levels in your class, you may have students read alone, in pairs, or together as a group. While reading, students should consider the guiding question: Is this a good contract for laborers? They can use an Advantages & Disadvantages graphic organizer to keep track of information.

Bring the class back together to discuss:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this contract for the laborers?
• How do the terms of this contract compare to conditions for enslaved people? 
• Do you consider this contract fair? Why or why not?