Tobacco in the early settlements of north america

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Tobacco in the Early Settlements of Northern America
Introduction
Tobacco is one of the most popular narcotics that is widely used by the world’s population. The narcotic was first discovered by the European explorers when they found that American natives from Canada to Brazil utilized it for medicinal value. Over the next centuries, the Europeans cultivated it in bulk and exported it to the rest of the globe where it was adopted by the rich and poor. Tobacco plantations in North America have been deeply connected with the transportation of slaves from the African continent, into the American continent through the great Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Tobacco in the Early Settlements of North America
Accordingly, the first colonialist to cultivate and ship tobacco to England was John Rolfe, the husband of Pocahontas (Castillo 27). Soon, fellow colonialists saw the economic potentials of what was once the culture of the natives. Afterwards, the growth of Tobacco was then taken up with an enthusiastic challenge. Besides overproduction of tobacco exhausted the soils since the plant is a heavy nutrient feeder crop. Accordingly, the colonialists were compelled to look for additional land.
Kennedy considers the state of Virginia as the child of tobacco. In the seventeenth century, the perfect methods of raising and curing the pungent tobacco plant had been fully established in Virginia. Over the period that followed the wave of tobacco rush swept across Virginia, as tobacco crops were planted in the streets of Jamestown.

Consequently, the European colonialists, who initially hungered for food, turned their attention into the craving for tobacco. Accordingly, the focus on mega lands for the expansion of tobacco plantation swiftly emerged and over time the colonialists restlessly began edging against the natives for more land.
History has it that the economic prosperity of Virginia was built on tobacco crop (Kennedy 25). Eventually, the bewitching plant played a crucial role in establishing the firm economic foundations of the state. Besides, the flaunting prices of the cash crop promoted enhanced – acreage plantation farms whose labor demands could only be met by slave labor (25). In 1619, the Dutch warship appeared in Virginia and sold off twenty black slaves (25). It is this occurrence that prompted the commercialization of African slaves who were planted into the white colonialist’s farms of North America (25). By 1650, over 300 black slaves had been counted in the state of Virginia, and by the end of the 17th century, the slave population comprised of 145 of the overall population of Virginia (25). The importation of slaves in bulk drew tensions between the more affluent colonialists and their poor counterparts. Consequently, the poorer colonialists sought greener pastures by seeking for land in the interior of North America (Castillo 29). With time the King of Britain James I grew hostile to Virginia. First, he revoked the colonial company of Virginia as bankrupt, and he made Virginia directly under his control. Indeed, this necessitated the growth of Tobacco to other states (Kennedy 25).
Kennedy (26) further eludes that Maryland became the next hub for tobacco plantation. The noble Lord of the Catholic Church Baltimore embraced the venture to cater for his fellow Catholics who were getting persecuted (26). Baltimore formed huge estates that he distributed to the Catholic faithful, and like Virginia, the initial laborers in the farms were poor Europeans, but sooner, they employed black slaves (26). With time, the cash crop was widespread within the whole of West Indies (27).
Conclusion
Seeds of some of the most difficult social problems in America were sowed in the seventeenth century as a result of tobacco cultivation. The use of tobacco products grew steadily from these humble beginnings, and it has spread to the rest of the globe up to date in the 21st century.
Works Cited
Castillo, Susan. American Literature in Context to 1865. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Internet resource.
Kennedy, David M. The Brief American Pageant: A History of the Republic. Lexington, Mass. [u.a.: Heath, n.d.] Print.