In 1607, the English settled Jamestown, the first permanent colony in America. Jamestown struggled during its first few years until a new economic development helped the colony thrive. What was this economic breakthrough?

Answer 1

The economic breakthrough that helped Jamestown thrive was the cultivation and export of tobacco. In the early years, the colony struggled with food shortages and conflicts with Native Americans, but the introduction of tobacco as a cash crop changed its fortunes. John Rolfe, an early settler, successfully experimented with tobacco farming and began to grow a strain that was favored in Europe. This not only provided a profitable export for the colony but also led to an increased demand for land and labor, ultimately contributing to the expansion of the colony and the establishment of the plantation system.