Tobacco colonies

The "tobacco colonies" were those that lined the sea-level coastal region of British North America known as Tidewater, extending from Delaware south through Maryland and Virginia into the Albemarle Sound region of North Carolina (the Albemarle Settlements). During the seventeenth century, the European demand for tobacco increased more than tenfold. It was largely supplied by production in the Chesapeake.

Virginia

The development of tobacco as an export began in Virginia in 1614 when one of the colonists, John Rolfe, experimented with a plant he had brought from the West Indies, "Nicotania tabacum." In the same year the first tobacco shipment was sent to England. After the first shipment was completed the British prized this new tobacco product. The reason why they prized the tobacco so much was because it became a way to show one's wealthiness to the public. Only those of highs status could afford this new product. As the popularity of tobacco grew it became the savior of the colonies. During the first growth and shipment period of the first batch of tobacco the colonies were in a crisis. Due to the rough climate the colonies weren't able to produce the crops they needed to survive. With no crops, they couldn't bring themselves income or food supply to sustain life in this new land. While the crisis continued the tobacco popularity also grew. Seeing this is happening the colonists took this opportunity and mass produced tobacco. Fortunately the Virginia climate and land structure was perfect for tobacco plantations. With this mass production and sales to English the colonies were saved from their crisis as they used tobacco for income and currency. Virginia tobacco rapidly gained popularity abroad and it became more difficult to encourage the production of diverse crops or other commodities in the colony. Land was readily available and quick profits could be made on tobacco. Tobacco cultivation is labor intensive and a large labor force was required which was supplied by indentured servants who were required to work for a number of years in return for their passage to the New World. The first slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619, but it would be several decades before slavery became the dominant labor force in the colony. Tobacco was Virginia's primary agricultural export throughout the colonial period in spite of repeated efforts by royal governors to encourage diversification.

Maryland

In 1623 a second colony was founded along the Chesapeake Bay. The land that would become Maryland was given to Cecelius Calvert, Lord Baltimore as a proprietary colony by Charles I. Founded as a source of income for Lord Baltimore and a refuge for Catholics, tobacco soon became the dominant export in Maryland as well.

One of the tobacco colonies were North Carolina.