The Norwegian crofters (husmenn) constituted a rural underclass that peaked in population in 1865. The reasons for this peak, the folio wing sharp decline, and the eventual disappearance of the crofters are explored in this thesis. Factors that jointly influenced the fate of the crofters were social, economical, and political. The changes in agriculture through mechanization, new farming practices, and an increased interest in husbandry lessened the need for the crofters. A Crofter's Act gave the crofters more legal rights, but the emerging social ideas encouraged the crofters to break from their class and join the emerging industrial worker class. Emigration served as a release valve for a rapidly growing population and many crofters sought their fortune in the United States. The Land Act of 1928 finally gave the few remaining crofters the legal rights to acquire the land they had used. Also included in this thesis is a translation of an interview of Arnt Høgås who was born into the crofter class . He gives a personal account of what life was like being a crofter in Trøgstad, Østfold. This brief biography gives an overview of the life of the crofters toward the end of the crofter era.