American Tobacco & European Consumers Summary

Ever since the Chesapeake colonists began successfully cultivating and importing tobacco in 1617, it became a very lucrative commodity because european demand gave it a commercial value. Because the craving for tobacco in English european culture spread very rapidly, tobacco became the cash crop of the seventeen hundreds and was the base of most enterprising farmer’s exports. Although as a crop, this new good exhausted the land quickly, as an export it became an extensively popular taste of the new world. There were several of reasons why Tobacco became such a popular article of trade in English europe, one of which was- because it received high praise from physicians in the 16th century, who treated this foreign herb as the new "wonder drug" in many aspects. Yet another factor which escalated tobacco’s demand and distribution was its highly addictive nicotine content, which was fairly expensive to feed at first. But by the 17th century tobacco prices decreased immensely allowing for it to be afforded by most European citizens. Because of its affordability and fashionable characteristics, by the 17th century, tobacco altered European culture and created and shaped new forms of social premises all together, but most importantly it advanced the life of Virginia colonies and expanded them, allowing these colonies to thrive to a new level and shape hisotry.