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The gang system is a reference within slavery
Slavery

Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to Labor for another . Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive Remuneration in return for their labor....
 to a division of labor established on the plantation
Plantation

A plantation is usually a large farm or Estate , especially in a tropical or semitropical country, like Brazil or Nicaragua on which cotton, tobacco, lice coffee, sugar cane and the like are cultivated, usually by resident laborers....
. It is the harsher of two main types of labor systems. The other form, known as the task system
Task System

The task system is a reference within slavery to a division of labor established on the plantation. It is the less harsh of two main types of labor systems....
, was less harsh and allowed the slaves more autonomy than did the gang system.

On the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 sugar plantation, the gang system was the preferred form of labor because it was the most productive. It was also, however, extremely brutal.






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The gang system is a reference within slavery
Slavery

Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to Labor for another . Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive Remuneration in return for their labor....
 to a division of labor established on the plantation
Plantation

A plantation is usually a large farm or Estate , especially in a tropical or semitropical country, like Brazil or Nicaragua on which cotton, tobacco, lice coffee, sugar cane and the like are cultivated, usually by resident laborers....
. It is the harsher of two main types of labor systems. The other form, known as the task system
Task System

The task system is a reference within slavery to a division of labor established on the plantation. It is the less harsh of two main types of labor systems....
, was less harsh and allowed the slaves more autonomy than did the gang system.

On the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 sugar plantation, the gang system was the preferred form of labor because it was the most productive. It was also, however, extremely brutal. Under the gang system, enslaved people were divided into three subgroups based upon their physical capabilities. These groups labored, often from dawn until dusk, under the supervision of an overseer. They were constantly pushed to yield maximum production. It operated as a virtual assembly line of laborers. The strongest and most capable group would be the ones responsible for planting and harvesting the cane. The next group was often responsible for weeding and hand fertilizing the crops using dung. The last group, often comprised of the very old or very young, completed remaining basic tasks, including ridding field of rats and running errands. Because the fields were planted in successive rotation, once the gang had completed their work on one field it was time to move to the next one. This allowed no time for the field gangs to tend to their own needs. This underscored the severity of this system.

Many economists believe that the stagnant economic growth in the South from 1865 to 1900 was due to a reorganization of labor away from large plantations with the gang system of labor to smaller tenant farms. These smaller farms encouraged laborers to work harder and for longer periods. In addition, farmers and land owners bore the risk of bad harvests. Often both parties would cooperate and try new methods to boost crop production.

They argue that gang system of labor was the driving force behind the efficiencies of slavery. Data also shows that the shift in southern farms from the gang system of labor to sharecropping resulted in a 50% decline in southern income per capita.