There was never another resource or cash crop that was more important to the history of Virginia than tobacco. Tobacco really is the history of Virginia, spreading from Jamestown to the rest of the colony. Access Genealogy shows that "The growth of the Virginia Colony, as it extended beyond the limits of Jamestown, was governed and hastened by the quest for additional virgin soil in which to grow this 'golden weed.'" The more land that was found meant that the expansion of the production of tobacco went up, and there was more trade. Without tobacco the development …show more content…
Tobacco's high prices were not completely the true purpose of the market. Before the Virginia colony started growing tobacco, Goodman said “England received its consignments of tobacco from Spanish America” which meant the price of goods increased for importing. England tried to grow tobacco as well, but they were unable to produce enough locally to meet demand and lower prices. Not being able to produce their own crops, England turned to the South, encouraging the production of tobacco and boosting their economy. Settlers consumed a large amount of tobacco like many people in Europe, as a result, the dependence upon tobacco sustaining their colony, and the addiction of the colonists to tobacco was most likely the cause of their choice of cash