How Did the Growing of Tobacco Affect the Jamestown Colony
The early period of planting tobacco
John Rolfe at first obtained the Nicotiana tabacum, the tobacco seed, from Spanish. To be more precise, it was from the Orinoco River valley. This type of seeds then known as the European standard since it has dark and bitter taste. It also grown a dark leaf and produced a milder if it planted in the fairly bottomland like the James River. 160 years later, the growth of this plant soon spread to another area such as Tidewater until the Blue Ridge Mountains. It even became the most dominating plant in the region of Chesapeake.
Before John Rolfe introduced the tobacco seeds, Jamestown was only a place where starving colonist gather with a little hope to survive. Their condition became so worse when the Indians were disappointed by them and London Company did not have any eager to send them more supplies. There were not so many gold that could they use to cover their living expense. Being on this condition, John Rolfe, who was learning to smoke tobacco interested to take some of the seeds home then cultivated them. His first chosen place to grow tobacco was the Trinidad and South America. John did not stop his work even though Spain already declared serious death penalty for any people who sell the tobacco seed besides Spaniard.
Rolfe also carved his name in history when in 1614 the first shipment of tobacco from Virginia sold
their harvest to London. This work continued well in the same condition for a couple of year. On June 1616, Rolfe and other leaders form Jamestown colony came to London in order to discuss the newly succeed of the crop. Keeping a hard work of developing this business, Rolfe became influencing men known by the world. Moreover, the fact that John Rolfe also married to Pocahontas, the daughter of a chief from Algonquian, was also became the center of people’s attention at that time. The story of Rolfe and Pocahontas could be obtained from John Smith statements. He said that Pocahontas ever rescued Jphn Rolfe from his death when Pocahontas was still a young girl. John Rolfe was Pocahontas father’s captive at that time, and it happened around 1607. Back to the development of Jon Rolfe business, London and many other countries became addicted to the tobacco produced under Rolfe’s effort then they started to demand many supplies of it. This demand was not coming by the blows of the wind only. John Rolfe made a great work to expand his areas in doing business throughout the 1620s. In 1619, John Rolfe finally got his hard work paid off by receiving a demand to export 10 tons of his tobacco harvest to Europe.
their harvest to London. This work continued well in the same condition for a couple of year. On June 1616, Rolfe and other leaders form Jamestown colony came to London in order to discuss the newly succeed of the crop. Keeping a hard work of developing this business, Rolfe became influencing men known by the world. Moreover, the fact that John Rolfe also married to Pocahontas, the daughter of a chief from Algonquian, was also became the center of people’s attention at that time. The story of Rolfe and Pocahontas could be obtained from John Smith statements. He said that Pocahontas ever rescued Jphn Rolfe from his death when Pocahontas was still a young girl. John Rolfe was Pocahontas father’s captive at that time, and it happened around 1607. Back to the development of Jon Rolfe business, London and many other countries became addicted to the tobacco produced under Rolfe’s effort then they started to demand many supplies of it. This demand was not coming by the blows of the wind only. John Rolfe made a great work to expand his areas in doing business throughout the 1620s. In 1619, John Rolfe finally got his hard work paid off by receiving a demand to export 10 tons of his tobacco harvest to Europe.
The number kept increasing. During 1693, Jamestown even exported as many as 750 tons of their tobacco harvest. It makes the Jamestown colony made its own history. They were not getting their well known name from founding much gold or everything else. They only cultivated the tobacco plants and they stick to it. The address of areas in poverty soon faded. The Jamestown colony change their own destiny became successful men through selling the tobacco. Tobacco also became the reason how Jamestown colony gain its address of the first permanent of English colony in all over the world.
What they call as drinking smoke
At first, tobacco was introduced by Spanish to Europe. They learned it from Native Americans before. Based on the report written by Thomas Hariot in his work entitled “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, he also wrote about this topic. He said that there was a kind of herb called uppowoc. This herb had many names in West Indies. However, the Spaniards often called this herb as tobacco. It had dried leaves, which were made into powder. People then were able to smoke it by using clay pipes to smoke it from the stomach and head. The vapors eradicate superfluous mucus and somehow gross wits from its body by the way it open all the pores as well as the passages. As a result, it does not used to preserve the body only, but also would bring to broken pieces if there were any obstructions found. This way showed the excellent health of the natives since they were not having grievous diseases that often attacked the England.
Another source of written literature also found under the name of James I of England. His work entitled as “A Counterblast to Tobacco”. In his work, he said that smoking was a hateful custom in the eyes. It had hateful smell to the nose. Whereas for the brain, it could bring severe damage as well as became a dangerous things for the lungs.
Tobacco in the growth of economy
Since this plant became the most valuable harvest for a long period, it also affected the growth of economy in many places. It even became the basic economy applied by the colony. This plant even had the ability to be used as purchasing basic to obtain servants then slave them. Besides that, the harvest of this plant could be used to pay local taxes and tithes as well. Moreover, England was willing to sell their goods to people who could afford it with tobacco at that time. This fact became the reason why the plantation of tobacco became world spread issues and wanted by many colonies.
As other effect of the economy, tobacco could be used as the currency as well. The prices of other commodities, servant and even wives could be exchanges by certain pounds of tobacco. England became the target of large tobacco planters to sell their harvest. On the other hand, the smaller tobacco planters usually sell their harvest to the local agents. These local agents then supplied them with any goods they need.
The instability of tobacco came in the middle of seventeenth century. It caused by the overproduction and delivery problem, as well as the disruptions from the British war. The fluctuate price of tobacco then affected many areas. Around 1740s until 1750s the price of tobacco could be in the stable condition again.
The effect of tobacco in Jamestown colony with the slavery
Planting tobacco became like a hunting treasure for this colony. Their previous way to earn money soon changed right after they knew that these plants could bring them wealth in easy way as well. However, in order to take care of these plants in large number need many workers as well. To overcome this problem, they started to make their servants worked hard. Eventually, the Native Americans also involved to work under their command. Since they want to gain as much as wealth they could, they never give a single cent to the workers. Wage for that many workers would only increase the money got from the tobacco selling. This case became more complicated when Englishmen wanted that space as well to do the plantation project and make the Native Americans their slave as well. It lead these two groups became mortal enemy and caused the slavery even gotten bigger. The slavery itself could not be solved until the years of civil war.
Tobacco saved Jamestown Colony
At that time, tobacco considered as a well-paid trading. It was controlled by Spanish at first. However, when a colonist brought some seeds to his hometown one day, it only needs a couple of years to influence this business to all farmers there. They started to sell their product to English as well as many other locations in the world. Soon, it became a booming business that saved Jamestown Colony from poverty. It such a big help for this colony since planting tobacco is just like a cash crop they could do easily. In those years, all gratitude expressed from all farmers to John Rolfe, the first man known to plant tobacco in Jamestown. Soon, tobacco became the most valuable thing in this area. The merchant also did not lose this chance to gain wealth for themselves
Tobacco and the land of Jamestown
Actually, Rolfe did not gain his success in his first attempt of selling tobacco. Many smokers felt that the tobacco from Caribbean was in many amounts less harsh compared to the tobacco harvested by Jamestown colony. Receiving this comment, Rolfe then started to import the seeds from the West Indies then cultivated it in the Jamestown colony. The success of this plant then brought a different development of Jamestown colony. However, taking the decision of planting tobacco also bring bad effect for Jamestown colony. The first most affected matter was the soil. Tobacco is a type of plant that has the ability to drain the nutrients from the soil. This plant only needs three successful of harvest season to absorb every single nutrient in the soil. This problem also faced by the Jamestown colony. As a result, they need to wait for another three years before they could start to plant the next tobacco.
In taking care of the land, Jamestown colony used the indentured servants. They were needed to give their best hard work during all the stages of developing the tobacco land. They need at least 4 until 5 years to show that they could be freed. The Crown will also reward the planters who had 50 acres of land to degree each inhabitant they could bring to the new world.
The effect of tobacco in the government
Because of the famous gained from the whole world business, the laws made at that time also influenced by the appearance of tobacco in people’s every day’s life. There were even some rules that were made to protect and to maintain the high value of the price of this plant. As a result, many civil as well as the criminal processes also did not leave this plant to be involved in the decision making process.
The tax paying also did not go far from the use of tobacco. For example, a person who had Negro meetings could have 1000 pounds of tobacco as his or her fine. Other sample is, when an owner let the Negroes kept horse, he or she will get 500 pounds of tobacco as his or her fine. It goes the same when someone wanted to have a marriage. The man’s wealth is determined by the annual pounds of the tobacco.
The death of Pocahontas
Since Pocahontas was the wife of the first man who introduced the tobacco seed to the Jamestown colony, her death also affect some matters. She died while having a trip to England around 1617. It also worsened by the death of Powhatan in the following couple of years, in 1618. However, Powhatan’s death was actually in the middle of fragile peace between the Native Americans and the English Settlers. Under the successor of Powhatan, Opecchankeno, the Algonquians in fact became angrier. It caused by the voracious need of many lands as well as the leap of the settlement of English. In other side, the American Natives also faced a many types of diseases brought from the Old World and caused suffer for many population of Native America.
The peak of this problem arose on March 1622 when Powhatan made a big decision to assault English settlements around Virginia. As a result of this decision, about 350 until 4000 of people died. This attack also became the hardest hit for the outpost of Jamestown even though the town received advance warning. Moreover, it had the ability to support a defense.
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