Unit 1 Essay

Unit 1 Essays

#13. Rank the items in the following list, starting with the one that you think had the most important consequences. Then justify your ranking. Finally, speculate as to what might have happened had these events not occurred.

A. The cultivation of tobacco in Virginia

B. The introduction of slavery into the plantation colonies

C. The “enclosing” of croplands in England

I believe the introduction of slavery into the plantation colonies, had more consequences than that of the cultivation of tobacco in Virginia, and the “enclosing” of croplands in England. It is hard to compare the three events and rank it from most consequences to least, because each event had its significance and played an important role in the development of our world today. However, I believe if it weren’t for slavery, farmers wouldn’t have prospered as much as they did with their plantations and cash crops.

I rank the introduction of slavery number one compared to the cultivation of tobacco and the “enclosing” of croplands in England. I rank it higher than the others because I believe it had more and far more greater consequences than the others. The introduction of slavery slowly reduced the hiring of indentured servants. Farmers saw it better to buy slaves who would work for them their whole life, instead of an indentured servant, who would eventually leave and may get land or pay in return for their labor. Slaves were forced to work and received no pay. If they refused to work, they would be whipped or even killed. Slaves were also sold through the Triangular Trade.

Slavery became a great demand throughout the southern colonies. Because of the introduction of slavery, the Virginia House of Burgesses set laws discriminating blacks. Africans and their children were to be treated as slaves for the rest of their lives. White laborers were allowed to be set free after a certain period of working. By 1650, there were about 400 Africans laborers in Virginia. In 1661, Virginia set up a legislation stating that children inherit their mother’s slave status for life. In 1664, Maryland declared that the baptism of a slave did not affect their slave status. By 1750, two thirds of South Carolina and half of Virginia’s population were slaves.

Plantations demanded hard manual labor. Gentlemen in the colonies were unaccustomed to labor and Gold-seekers refused to hunt or gather food. If it weren’t for slaves, plantations wouldn’t have been attended to as much. Farmers would’ve had to buy smaller acres of land, big enough for he and a few workers to attend to. Also, the economy would’ve increased much slower, due to less production of crops and no income from buying slaves. Without slaves, the colonies wouldn’t have prospered much. As slavery grew, so did racism, which is still in effect today some places around the world. All these consequences lead me to believe that the introduction of slavery into the plantation colonies was indeed the most important event to occur.

I rank the cultivation of tobacco in Virginia number two. By John Rolfe establishing the tobacco industry, many lives were saved and the economy shot up like a rocket. The settlers of Jamestown were facing Indian attacks, diseases, and