Although it is difficult to
choose one plant that had the greatest impact on world history, I would have to
say it was tobacco. This plant became the most important cash crop in America
and forever shaped the country. One of the early uses of tobacco was for
religious and public ceremonies among several tribes of Native Americans.
European explorers also reported that the crop could be used to cure almost
every existing ailment. It was capable of inducing relaxation before battle, putting off hunger, and thought to treat various diseases.
After tobacco was introduced
to England, it became a necessary recreation for all gentlemen and was quickly
adopted by the general population. Thus, the tobacco industry flourished and
colonists had to produce the crop to meet the growing demand in Europe. The
economy of North America was never the same after the cash crop was found. More
settlers would arrive from Europe and a sense of independence in the colonies
would
emerge. Tobacco could even be used as a currency in Maryland and Virginia
in exchange for groceries. However, such a lucrative product had to have its
tolls – tobacco was tremendously labor intensive. With its increase of
production came the increase in the slave trade. It was decided that the
farming and cultivation was most suited work for Africans rather than the
initial indentured servants, resulting in African slaves becoming the backbone
for tobacco trade. This created deeply rooted racial problems that led to
political movements and the illegalization of slavery. Issues of racism still
remain prevalent in society today.
Tobacco’s infamous legacy
does not end there. The negative health effects of the plant were not
originally known. Tobacco became and continues to remain an addiction to its
consumers. The mode of delivery changed from snuff held sway, to cigars, to
manufactured cigarettes. At the beginning of the 21st century, 1/3
of adults used tobacco. Regardless of the surplus of studies showing that
tobacco kills its users and cigarettes affect non-users via secondhand smoke,
people across the globe continue to smoke and deaths continue to rise everyday.
So, how different would the world be without tobacco?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking#mediaviewer/File:Adverse_effects_of_tobacco_smoking.svg
Check Out This Tobacco Timeline:
http://www.intheknowzone.com/substance-abuse-topics/tobacco/history.html
