1612Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
Jamestown and the Tobacco Colonies
On the timeline · around 1612 ·
What happened
In 1612, the colonist John Rolfe planted milder Spanish tobacco seeds at Jamestown, Virginia. The crop was a commercial triumph: by 1617 tens of thousands of pounds were shipping to England, and tobacco became the struggling colony's economic salvation.
Why it matters
Tobacco made English America viable. It shaped the economy, land use and society of the early colonies — and drove a growing demand for labor.
Sources
- Encyclopedia Virginia. Tobacco in Colonial Virginia · General source
- World History Encyclopedia. John Rolfe · Reputable source
Related timelines
- American History → — The cash crop that built England's first colony