USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Today, tobacco is still Virginia’s largest cash crop and number 1 export.

Detailed explanation-2: -Virginia operated under “cash-crop” agriculture (tobacco is grown for sale, not for use on the farm) since 1613. Tobacco provided more income than any other farm crop until the 21st Century. Tobacco plantations shaped the settlement of the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont.

Detailed explanation-3: -The dried leaves of the tobacco plant became the major cash crop in colonial Virginia after John Rolfe brought the seeds of a South American variety, Nicotiana tabacum, to Virginia in 1612.

Detailed explanation-4: -Colonists only grew corn and wheat for use by their families. Other crops were grown, but mostly for individual consumption. As Virginia’s Piedmont became more populated during the 19th century, the area became a major tobacco producer.