The Chesapeake economy was based on commercial farming and plantations with tobacco being the staple crop, but they also grew wheat and corn. The colony had few towns, for the residents did not need commercial centers in order to buy and sell goods. The climate of the region, hot summers, was perfect for tobacco cultivation thanks to the fertile land but was a very labor intensive task because it was all done by hand. Many of the immigrants that settled here could not, or would not, perform these tasks, therefore they needed workers to help with the labor. The headright system was introduced as a way to solve the labor shortage. Anyone that could not afford to pay for their passage pledged to work for the paying farmers for periods ranging
