TOBACCO: The Early History of a New World Crop. Hail thou inspiring plant! Thou balm of life, Thou friend of wisdom and thou source of health. It robs a woman of her right. -Dr. William Vaughn, 1617. As these two verses show, tobacco use has long been a controversial subject, considered by turns a vice, a panacea, an economic salvation and a foolish and dangerous habit. However, it was perceived, by the end of the seventeenth century tobacco had become the economic staple of Virginia, easily making her the wealthiest of the 13 colonies by the time of the American Revolution.
n/a
n/a