LESSON 7
Museum Connection: Labor and the Black Experience
Lesson Title: Linking Cash Crops to Enslaved Labor in Colonial America
Grade Level and Content Area: Elementary, Social Studies
Time Frame: 2 class periods
Purpose: In this lesson students will learn how Maryland became a tobacco-producing
colony and the importance of enslaved labor for the production of that crop. Working
individually, they will sequence the steps involved in growing tobacco during Colonial
times, and they will make a stack book using drawings and textboxes. Students will
identify the human, natural, and capital resources used in the tobacco production
process.
Correlation to State Social Studies Standards:
USH 2.3.5.1
Analyze the social and religious composition of early settlers, their
motives for migration, and the difficulties they encountered, with
particular attention to the early settlements of Maryland.
GEO 4.3.5.5
Describe major kinds of economic activity in Maryland and the
United States and explain the factors influencing their location and
growth.
ECO 5.1.5.2
Explain how producers combine resources to provide goods and
services to satisfy economic wants.
Social Studies:
4.A.2 (Grade 4)
Maryland College and Career Ready Standards
Describe how limited economic resources (natural, human and
capital) are used to produce goods and services to satisfy
economic wants in Maryland.
4.A.2 (Grade 5)
Describe how limited economic resources (natural, human and
capital) are used to produce goods and services to satisfy
economic wants in Colonial America.
5.A.1.a (Grade 4)
Explain how and why the Maryland colony was established
including political and economic motives for coming to the new
world.
5.A.2.a (Grade 5)
Describe the religious, political, and economic motives of
individuals who migrated to North America and the difficulties they
encountered.
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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5.C.4 (Grade 4)
Explain how the institution of slavery impacted individuals and
groups in Maryland.
Correlation to State Reading and English Language Arts Maryland College and
Career Ready Standards:
1.E.4.d (Grades 4 and 5) Draw conclusions or make generalizations about the text.
Objective:
Students will explain how Maryland became a tobacco-producing colony and the
importance of enslaved labor for the production of that crop.
Vocabulary and Concepts:
Capital resources – Capital resources are goods manufactured and constructed by
people and used to produce other goods and services.
Cash crop – A planter grows a cash crop for sale, not for his or her own use.
Cooper—A craftsman or worker who makes wooden barrels.
Goods – Tangible objects known as goods can be used to satisfy economic wants.
Goods include but are not limited to food, shoes, cars, houses, books, and furniture.
Hogshead – A hogshead was a large cask or barrel.
Human resources – The health, strength, talents, education, and skills that humans
can use to produce goods and services are known collectively as human resources.
Natural resources – The renewable and nonrenewable gifts of nature that can be used
to produce goods and services are known collectively as natural resources. They
include but not limited to land, water, animals, minerals, and vegetation.
Slavery – Slavery is the institution of owning slaves or holding individuals in a condition
of servitude.
Trade – To trade means o engage in the exchange, purchase, or sale of goods.
Materials and Resources
For the teacher:
Teacher Resource Sheet 1 –Colonial Map “Colonial Agriculture circa 1770”
Teacher Resource Sheet 2 – Crop Production in Colonial Times
Teacher Resource Sheet 3 – Steps for Creating “Accordion/Stack Book”
For the student:
Student Resource Sheet 1 – Growing Tobacco
Student Resource Sheet 2 – Economic Resources Used To Produce Tobacco
2 sheets of 8 1/2” x 11” paper cut in half, “hot dog-style” (lengthwise), for each student
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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2 sheets 12”x18” construction paper cut in half, “hot dog-style” (lengthwise), for each
group of 4 students
Resources
Books:
Christian, Charles. Black Saga: The African American Experience. Counterpoint Press,
1998.
Web sites:
(Caution: many Web sites related to tobacco also have advertisements for
tobacco products, so they must be screened carefully before student use.)
Economic Aspects of Tobacco during the Colonial Period, 1612-1776
http://www.tobacco.org/History/colonialtobacco.html
John Rolfe, The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
http://www.apva.org/history/jrolfe.html
Teacher Background:
The Algonquian Indians first introduced tobacco to the colonists in the Chesapeake
region. Eventually tobacco became vital to the economy of Maryland and the common
currency in both Maryland and Virginia for the payment of fines and taxes. Tobacco
also became a primary source of revenue for the two colonies. A duty, or tax, of two
shillings (equal to about 20 cents) was levied on each hogshead of tobacco exported.
In 1700 the government of colonial Maryland had an income of about 2,500 pounds,
which is equal to about $3,784.
Maryland and the other colonies were obligated to send natural resources to England,
which would then process the resources into manufactured goods and market those
goods to other countries. England forbade the colonies from sending their natural
resources elsewhere and also forced the colonies to buy manufactured products and
other goods solely from England. The growing demand for tobacco in England made
increased tobacco production necessary in the colonies.
The production of tobacco was a labor-intensive business, so tobacco farmers (in
Maryland and other colonies) invested much of their money in African slaves. Because
tobacco exhausts the nutrients in soil rapidly, it made better economic sense for farmers
to invest in cheap labor rather than in land. They used slaves to till the ground, plant
the seeds, raise the plants, weed the fields, and harvest and cure the tobacco. Then,
when the land stopped producing good crops, the farmers could move their slaves to
work new pieces of ground that had been rented.
Farmers also used slaves in other areas of the tobacco production process. Some
slaves were trained as coopers and made hogsheads for the export of tobacco. Others
were forced to be blacksmiths, who made the rims for hogsheads, or to work as
carpenters or stablemen. Since one hogshead could weigh up to 1,000 pounds, it was
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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easiest to transport them by water. As a result, most tobacco plantations were located
in close proximity to waterways. Slaves would roll hogsheads full of harvested tobacco
from plantations to wharfs, where ships from England waited to receive them.
Most years the tobacco harvest brought economic prosperity to Maryland. In fact, those
engaged in other trades realized that it was more profitable to raise tobacco and so
became farmers. Tobacco was subject to disaster, such as from the weather or
improper curing, just like any other crop. Nevertheless, tobacco contributed greatly to
economic growth in Maryland, which (like other colonies) had become dependent on
slave labor. In 1690 about seven percent of the total population in the Chesapeake
region were slaves; by 1750 the number had grown to 35 percent. By the time of the
American Revolution, the institution of slavery—the backbone of tobacco production in
the colonies—was widely accepted, both politically and socially.
Lesson Development
Note to the teacher: Cut out Student Resource Sheet 1 prior to conducting the lesson.
1. Motivation:
•
Tell students that by the 1700s people in England had developed a taste for
tobacco. They were willing to pay a great deal for it, so landowners in
several colonies set out to meet this demand and make money by growing
tobacco. Tobacco was a “cash crop,” a crop grown just to sell, not to use.
Farmers sold their tobacco to merchants who owned ships that sailed to and
from England. The ships came to landings very close to the farms.
•
Display Teacher Resource Sheet 1, “Colonial Agriculture circa 1770,” and
ask: Why do you think so much land in Maryland, Virginia, and North
Carolina was used to grow tobacco?
 Nearness to navigable water, since all goods coming from and
going to Europe were transported by water.
 The land had good soil. Often, the areas with the best soil were old
fields that had been cultivated by Native Americans.
 Climate was good for growing tobacco.
•
Tell students that not all planters in these colonies were successful in
growing tobacco. Climate and soil were very important in growing tobacco
and determining the profitability of the crop. Have students locate on the
map where tobacco was grown in Maryland (the Eastern Shore and
southern counties on the Western Shore).
2. Tell students that natural, capital, and human resources are needed to produce
tobacco or any other crop. Display Teacher Resource Sheet 2, Crop Production in
Colonial Times, as an example. Review with students the terms “natural resources,”
“capital resources,” and “human resources.”
3. Tell students to look at the photograph and identify the natural, capital, and human
resources needed to grow crops in the colonies.
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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natural resources: soil, plants
capital resource: farm tool
human resource: farmer
4. Ask students to identify products made from corn and other products grown by
farmers (e.g., tobacco).
5. Now, explain that much of the work done on a tobacco plantation hundreds of years
ago was provided by enslaved people, the “human resources.” These people were
captured in Africa and forced to come to America. Many died on the horrible
journey. Once in America, many of these Africans worked on tobacco farms. They
planted and cultivated the planting beds, transplanted the tobacco plants to the
fields, hoed the weeds, picked the worms, and harvested the crop. Then they
worked to dry the leaves and pack them in hogsheads. The work was very difficult.
6. Give each student a set of “Growing Tobacco” drawings and textboxes (Student
Resource Sheet 1).
7. Next, tell students to read the information in each box and match it to one of the
photos. Discuss the information with them.
8. Tell students that they are going to make an “Accordion/Stack Book” using the
drawings and textboxes.
Directions:
• Arrange three sheets of 4 1/4” x 11” paper in a series of steps. The first
fold is about 3 1/4” down. The other folds are 1” down.
• Hold the papers together and fold all 3 sheets over to form 6 steps.
• Place a rubber band under the top fold to hold the book together.
• Paste pictures and textboxes on each of the six pages in sequential order.
Answer Key: A - 5, B - 4, C - 1, D - 9, E - 8, F - 2, G - 10, H - 3, I - 7, J - 6
9. Assessment: Distribute Student Resource Sheet 2, Economic Resources Used to
Produce Tobacco. Tell students to use the drawings in order to identify each of the
resources and explain how they were used to produce tobacco.
• Drawing 1 – natural resources: soil and tobacco plants used in the
production process
• Drawing 2 – human resources: enslaved people tending the crop; natural
resources: soil, tobacco plants; capital resources: hoe and basket are
tools used to grow tobacco
• Drawing 3 – capital resource: tobacco barn used to store and dry tobacco
after it has been harvested
• Drawing 4 – product: dried tobacco made into smoking tobacco used by
colonists and Europeans
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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10. Closure: Place the following statement on the chalkboard: “Tobacco was a laborintensive crop in Maryland.” Have students justify this statement by identifying all
the jobs done by the enslaved African Americans in growing tobacco and getting it to
market. (Answer key: preparing the seedbeds, preparing a hill for each plant,
transplanting seedlings, worming, topping, weeding, harvesting, cutting and
spearing, hanging, stripping, bundling, packing leaves into hogsheads, rolling
hogsheads to the landing.)
Tell students that all of these tasks were carried out with great care so as not to
bruise or otherwise damage the fragile tobacco leaves. In optimal conditions, one
worker might produce 1,500 pounds of tobacco in a year.
Thoughtful Application:
Today tobacco is no longer an important crop in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina
for health reasons. What crops could farmers grow instead?
Lesson Extensions:
• Visit the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture.
• Visit the National Colonial Farm in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
• Make a diorama of a tobacco plantation.
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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Teacher Resource Sheet 1
Colonial Map
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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Teacher Resource Sheet 2
Crop Production in Colonial Times
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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Teacher Resource Sheet 3
Steps for Creating “Accordion/Stack Book”
1.
Arrange 3 sheets of 4 1/4” x 11”
paper in a series of steps. The first
fold is about 3 1/4” down. The other
folds are 1” down.
2.
Hold the papers together and fold all
three sheets over to form 6 steps.
3.
Place a rubber band under the top
fold to hold the book together.
4.
Paste pictures and textboxes on
each of the six pages in sequential
order.
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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Student Resource Sheet 1a
Growing Tobacco
The tobacco-growing season might have started
as early as January. Tiny tobacco seeds were
planted in seedbeds. About 10,000 tobacco seeds
filled a teaspoon, so preparing and sowing the
seedbed was a difficult task. Small plants were
protected from the cold by covering them with
pine branches. Seedlings had to be watered and
weeded.
A
While the plants were beginning to grow in the
seedbeds, new fields were cleared. Forests were
cut so that tobacco could be planted in large
fields. Tobacco exhausted the soil after four or
five years, and new fields had to be constantly
prepared.
After two months in the seedbeds, tobacco plants
were large enough to be transplanted. They were
planted in the mounds because they required a
great amount of space for leaves to develop.
C
Tobacco growing in the fields needed constant
attention. Weeds were pulled and plants were
watered if there had been little rain. Tobacco
plants also had be checked for worms. The only
way to remove worms was to pull them off each
leaf. Every enslaved person was needed to kill
the worms.
D
Late in summer or early fall, the entire stalk of
each tobacco plant was cut at the bottom and left
to wilt in the fields for a few hours. Next a hole
was cut in each stalk so that it could be threaded
onto a long stick, called a tobacco stake. As
many as six to eight stalks were placed on a
stake.
E
In November and December stalks were moved
to the drying house or barn and hung under the
beams until they were fully dry. These drying
houses or barns had good ventilation and kept out
sunlight and rain.
When the leaves on the stakes were dry, they
were taken down and stripped from the stalks.
This was often done on rainy days so the leaves
would not crumble and break.
The dried tobacco leaves were bundled into
“hands,” a bunch of 10 to 20 leaves wrapped
together. The hands were packed inside barrels
called hogsheads.
B
F
G
Some enslaved people worked as coopers on
plantations, making barrels of all sizes including
hogsheads. Hogsheads could hold 200 to 1,000
pounds of tobacco, depending on their size and
how they were packed.
H
It took several months to transport the hogsheads
from the barn, down roads, often called “rolling
roads,” to the wharf and load them onto the
ships. When the ships were loaded, they set sail
for England.
I
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
J
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Student Resource Sheet 1b
Growing Tobacco
1
2
4
3
5
6
8
7
9
10
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Culture
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Student Resource Sheet 1c
Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
Steps for Growing Tobacco
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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Student Resource Sheet 2
Economic Resources Used to Produce Tobacco
Identify the economic resources in each photograph, and label them as natural,
capital, or human. Explain how these resources were used to produce tobacco.
©Copyright 2004 MSDE/Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and
Culture
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