Examining the effect of economic shocks on the schooling choices of southern farmers†

Black men born in the Cotton South during the turn of the twentieth century attended school for three and half fewer years relative to their white counterparts. In this article, I examine whether economic fluctuations contributed to blacks receiving 50 percent less schooling than whites. Using US Census data, I find a positive correlation between black school attendance and cotton production. The attendance rates of white children are unaffected by changes in cotton production. Using features of the Southern agricultural economy, I show credit constraints drives the positive correlation between school attendance and cotton production for black households.