The History of Tobacco Farming prior to 1877. History Research Paper

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Tobacco Farming in America before 1877
Communities around the world have depended on agriculture for their daily sustenance for many centuries. Individuals have been clearing and tilling pieces of land and planting crops not only to consume but also exchange for other commodities they may require. On the same breadth, agriculture has been practiced in the US since the first English settlers came into the region to present day. Particularly, agriculture supported the livelihood of 90% of the population during the period of European colonization of the country. Over the years, America has been at the forefront of the agricultural production of various cash crops including tobacco that was natively grown in North and South America. It is believed that tobacco was grown in the Americas from way back in 6000 B.C. The Native Americans used it not only as medicine but also as a hallucinogen. Upon seeing its usage in America, European explorers then introduced tobacco to the rest of the world between 15th and 16th centuries and it was eventually taken up as a drug of choice by the rich and poor alike. Nonetheless, it is only until the 17th century that tobacco was grown commercially in the US. The research paper purposes to examine the history of tobacco farming prior to 1877 in the United States.
Tobacco is a cash crop that was grown by Native Americans in the North and South from as early as 6000 B.C. For one, American Indians used tobacco for religious and medicinal uses. Tobacco was also used by Native Americans as a painkiller and for dressing wounds. It belongs to the same family as nightshade and individuals/ users usually chew, inhale or smoke the dried tobacco leaves to achieve invigorating and calming effects (Hall 360). European explorers including Christopher Columbus first encountered tobacco around 1492 when they were given the cash crop as a gift by American Indians. Upon being intrigued by its healing properties, the European explorers then introduced tobacco not only in Europe but globally.
Although tobacco had been grown in the Americas for centuries, it is not until the 17th century that it was produced commercially in Jamestown, Virginia. John Rolfe arrived in the region around 1612 with a new species of tobacco in nicotiana tabacum which was much smoother and preferable to the native nicotiana rustica (Clifton, and Kulikoff 498). During that period, his fellow English settlers and the locals were struggling and starving unaware that they were sitting on a gold mine. Tobacco grows well in warm climates and regions such as Virginia. Furthermore, the sole in Virginia supported tobacco farming. As such, many white people in the region soon took up tobacco farming in large scale for sell in Europe. The first shipment of tobacco from Virginia to England was sent in 1614 and 1639 over 700 tons had been exported in and around Europe. It is noted that Europeans were highly thrilled from the notion that tobacco was capable of curing any diseases that affected their bodies hence the large quantities of export into the region (Clifton, and Kulikoff 498). The growing popularity of tobacco farming eventually found its way to other states in the US including Kentucky, and North and Sout...