Tobacco: The “Savior”
of Virginia
Donna Shifflett
Ruckersville Elementary School
Greene County Schools
TAH Grant: America on the World Stage
2009
Columbus’ Role in the
Spread of Tobacco
According to Columbus’ journal, the
Indians in the islands of San Salvador
offered him tobacco leaves, which they
considered precious.
While tobacco use appears to have
been common in the Caribbean, it was
likely rare in Europe. While tobacco
residue has been found in small
amounts human remains in African and
Asian remains, there is no proof that
tobacco was used often in those
regions.
Sir Walter Raleigh and
His Use of Tobacco
Sir Walter Raleigh, founder of the Lost
Colony, was introduced to tobacco by the
British explorer Francis Drake in 1585, and
he introduced the plant to Queen Elizabeth
and her court. It became fashionable to
smoke in England. Many people thought it
would cure diseases such as scurvy,
tuberculosis, the plague and others.
King James I
Jamestown was settled in 1607, three
years after King James I issued his
Counterblast Against Tobacco.
The Counterblast wrote of the ill
effects of tobacco. He said tobacco
was… “custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the
nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and
in the black stinking fume thereof nearest resembling
the horrible stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.
However, the King quickly
raised import taxes on the weed
to raise revenue for Britain.
John Rolfe and Pocahontas
John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown in
1610 and by 1612 he introduced
another breed of tobacco that is
sweeter than what the Indians grew. In
1614 he married Pocahontas, an event
that contributed to a period of
eight years of relative peace
between the Indians and the
English settlers.
New Tobacco Laws
The British government passed laws
governing tobacco growth in Jamestown in
1619. There were reports that tobacco was
growing in the streets of Jamestown and
people were starving! One of the first laws
the House of Burgesses passed regarded
tobacco! The House of Burgesses met at the
Jamestown church and its first order of
business was to set the minimum
price of tobacco at 3 shillings per
pound.
British Laws and Tobacco
By the 1730’s tobacco taxes were bringing
in a large sum of money for the British and
the government passed additional laws which
forbade Britain from importing tobacco from
any colony or nation EXCEPT Virginia. This
shut down the trade from other European
colonies. England enjoyed the additional
taxes from Virginia tobacco because before
tobacco could go to other European
countries, such as Russia, England collected
the duty.
The Growth of Cities
Tobacco took root in the American colony
of Virginia and spread to other Southern
colonies. Plantations grew and the need for
labor increased. Plantation owners
purchased slaves to work the tobacco fields.
Slaves would be a part of Southern history
until after the Civil War.
Warehouses were built in small towns to
house and sell the tobacco. Due to the
growth in infrastructure, other businesses
moved to these towns. This resulted in cities
growing in both population and
prosperity.
’s
Question 1: True or False
Tobacco was most
likely introduced to
Europe when
Columbus returned
from his journey.
TRUE
Question 2
What did King
James’ I
Counterblast to
Tobacco say?
Was he right
or wrong?
The Counterblast to Tobacco said that
tobacco was…..
“custom loathsome to the eye, hateful
to the nose, harmful to the brain,
dangerous to the lungs, and in the black
stinking fume thereof nearest resembling
the horrible stygian smoke of the pit that is
bottomless.
King James was RIGHT!
Question 3
So, how
did all these
tobacco laws help
the growth of
tobacco in Virginia?
The numbers speak for themselves!
Year
Colonial Tobacco
Imports to England
(includes Virginia from 1612
and Bermuda from 1615)
European Tobacco
Imports to England
1616
2,300
52,673
1617
19,388
50,906
1618
41,728
42,871
1623
134,607
66,877
1624
202,962
63,497
Chart created from information in Beer, 1922
Question 4
Explain how
the marriage of
Pocahontas and John
Rolfe helped or hurt
the growth of tobacco.
In 1614 John Rolfe married
Pocahontas, an event that
contributed to a period of eight
years of relative peace between
the Indians and the English
settlers. This allowed the
Jamestown settlers to take
over more land and grow
tobacco which was exported to
Great Britain.
Question 5
What effect did
tobacco have on
slavery?
More tobacco was grown and
the growth of plantations
caused the need for labor to
increase. Plantation owners
purchased slaves to work the
tobacco fields. Cities grew
as tobacco became
integrated into Virginia
economy.
References
1.
Beer, George Louis, (1922). The Origins of the British Colonial System 1578-1660. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1837070
2.
“A Brief History of Jamestown, Virginia” Tobacco News and Information.
http://www.tobacco.org/History/Jamestown.html
3.
Frank M. Wooten, Jr., Papers (#126), [Online Image] Retrieved November 30, 2009 from Special
Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North
Carolina, USA. http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/exhibits/tobacco/imageFiles/TFLD/3TFLD001.jpg
4.
Rothstein, Arthur, (Sept,1937). [Online Image] A Healthy Stand of New Jersey Corn. Retrieved
November 30, 2009 from Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington,
DC, USA. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/i?pp/fsaall:@field(NUMBER+@band(fsa+8b36163))
5.
Van de Passe, Simon, (1624). [Online Image] Matoaka Rebecka daughter to the mighty
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View of North Main Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets [Online Image]. 190?. Retrieved
November 4, 2009 from DigitalForsyth from the Forsyth County Library, Winston-Salem,
North Carolina. http://www.digitalforsyth.org/photos/5449
8.
Tobacco Counterblast. [Online image] Retrieved October 8, 2009 from Virginia Memory, Library
of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219
http://www.virginiamemory.com/online_classroom/lesson_plans/tobacco_counterbl
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9.
Jackson, William Henry (1902) Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company,
[Online image] Retrieved November 4, 2009from Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division Washington, DC, USA http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?ammem/detr:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28det+4a09402%29%29
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A Proclamation Concerning Tobacco [Online image] Retrieved October 8, 2009 from Virginia
Memory, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219
http://www.virginiamemory.com/reading_room/this_day_in_virginia_history/january/06