USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -It didn’t take the colonists long to realize that economic specialization would be the way to go, and tobacco became the cash crop for the colony.

Detailed explanation-2: -Tobacco was Virginia’s first cash crop. A cash crop is any crop for raised for its profits rather than its use. It was a labor intensive crop, requiring cheap labor and cheap land. Start-up costs were expensive.

Detailed explanation-3: -Thereafter, tobacco was king in the Tidewater area colony throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Colonists only grew corn and wheat for use by their families. Other crops were grown, but mostly for individual consumption.

Detailed explanation-4: -Because of the scarcity of specie, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina used tobacco as currency throughout most of the colonial period. In 1619 the Virginia legislature “rated” high-quality tobacco at three shillings and in 1642 made it legal tender.

Detailed explanation-5: -The economy of the Virginia colony depended on agriculture as a primary source of wealth. Tobacco became the most profitable agricul-tural product and was sold in England as a cash crop.