American colonization and development was shaped by many different influences such as new economic trends, stark political realities or emerging societal and cultural factors. Throughout my studies and readings, I have found that the most influential of the three to be new economic trends. The major two changes in the economy that helped to successfully colonize and develop america, was the rise of slavery and the tobacco trade.
It was the "staple" of the Chesapeake colonies in a broader sense than any other staple the world has known. For, in the ancient province, all the processes of government society and domestic life began and ended with tobacco.[1] During the early years of the founding of Jamestown, many colonists were “gentlemen” …show more content…
It was not until the home growing of tobacco began in Jamestown did it begin to thrive economically. Many people in Jamestown started planting tobacco of their own and converting many acres of vacant land they were given at the “head system.” During this time the colonial economic success relied largely on the income of the the tobacco trade and free slave labor. The increasing amount population of slaves entered the colony resulted in an increase of tobacco production and exportation. Imports of tobacco into England increased from 60,000 pounds in 1622 to 500,000 pounds in 1628, and to 1,500,000 pounds in 1639. By the end of the seventeenth century, England was importing more than 20,000,000 pounds of colonial tobacco per year [2]. This created a new problem, It unfortunately led to the need and beginning of the use of slave labor and the slave trade. Land owners needed more workers to maintain their crops, so ship owners started the slave trade. The Dutch ship owner that came to Jamestown in 1619 traded some food in exchange for some African people, which in return he made into indentured servants for the landowners. This was indeed the start of the economic success that would be the slave trade, as the Dutch found it to be highly profitable and almost no work for them. Other countries caught on soon after, officially starting slave trading world wide. Shipping of Black Africans was treated as a commodity and were sold off at slave auctions separating them from their friends, family, and culture. Therefore, in the end tobacco was an extreme economic success which brought money and people to Jamestown, but it also was the start of slavery, one of the worst practices in the history of
It was the "staple" of the Chesapeake colonies in a broader sense than any other staple the world has known. For, in the ancient province, all the processes of government society and domestic life began and ended with tobacco.[1] During the early years of the founding of Jamestown, many colonists were “gentlemen” …show more content…
It was not until the home growing of tobacco began in Jamestown did it begin to thrive economically. Many people in Jamestown started planting tobacco of their own and converting many acres of vacant land they were given at the “head system.” During this time the colonial economic success relied largely on the income of the the tobacco trade and free slave labor. The increasing amount population of slaves entered the colony resulted in an increase of tobacco production and exportation. Imports of tobacco into England increased from 60,000 pounds in 1622 to 500,000 pounds in 1628, and to 1,500,000 pounds in 1639. By the end of the seventeenth century, England was importing more than 20,000,000 pounds of colonial tobacco per year [2]. This created a new problem, It unfortunately led to the need and beginning of the use of slave labor and the slave trade. Land owners needed more workers to maintain their crops, so ship owners started the slave trade. The Dutch ship owner that came to Jamestown in 1619 traded some food in exchange for some African people, which in return he made into indentured servants for the landowners. This was indeed the start of the economic success that would be the slave trade, as the Dutch found it to be highly profitable and almost no work for them. Other countries caught on soon after, officially starting slave trading world wide. Shipping of Black Africans was treated as a commodity and were sold off at slave auctions separating them from their friends, family, and culture. Therefore, in the end tobacco was an extreme economic success which brought money and people to Jamestown, but it also was the start of slavery, one of the worst practices in the history of