The cash crop that saved Jamestown was tobacco.
- John Rolfe, an Englishman, introduced the cultivation of a new strain of tobacco in Jamestown around 1612.
- This tobacco, known as "Virginia gold," quickly became a valuable commodity and was in high demand in Europe.
- The successful cultivation and trade of tobacco transformed the economic fortunes of Jamestown and helped the colony to survive and thrive.
Effects on American Indians:
The introduction of tobacco cultivation and trade had a profound impact on the American Indians in the area.
- The demand for tobacco led to increased interaction and trade between the English colonists and the Native American tribes.
- This interaction brought about cultural exchanges, introduction of new technologies and goods, and sometimes conflicts and tensions.
- Many American Indian tribes became involved in the tobacco trade, growing and selling tobacco to the colonists.
- However, the increased interaction with the colonists also brought diseases, such as smallpox and measles, which had devastating effects on the native population.
- The American Indian population in the Jamestown area suffered significant decline due to these epidemics.