The Importance of Tobacco Throughout history there have been several miracles that have shaped how people live today. If these miracles did not happen, the entire world would be a different place. The success of Jamestown Virginia is a prime example of this principle. Jamestown did not start out well as a colony, and was in a great amount of debt. Before John Rolfe came, the new colony was looking at failure. Rolfe brought the fine crop of tobacco with him in hopes to save Jamestown from the debt that it was in. Tobacco saved Jamestown because it helped get Jamestown out of debt, it brought new settlers to Virginia, it was extremely easy to grow and grew exceptionally well in the fertile soil, it was the beginning of large plantations, people back in Europe became a main purchaser of the tobacco, and without tobacco Jamestown would have …show more content…
People back in Europe became attracted to the tobacco grown in Jamestown. “Once it proved profitable, tobacco was planted over huge stretches of land.” (Unsettling the Landscape) Tobacco plantations started to spread everywhere because of the success of the crop. The colonists tried to think of every single little nook and cranny that they might be able to grow some tobacco in. The Europeans liked tobacco so much that they grew tobacco in the streets of Jamestown just to keep up with the demand. The success of tobacco in Europe helped Jamestown get out of debt because what good is a crop if there is not anyone to sell it to.
Some would say that tobacco was one of the many reasons why Jamestown did not fail, but it is definitely the biggest reason. There are so many reasons why tobacco was an answered prayer to colonists who were so desperate at the time. Tobacco saved Jamestown and was in a way the start of the United States. Without it, the whole country would be a different place. That is why without tobacco, Jamestown would have failed as a