Colonial South and The Chesapeake - Chesapeake

Chesapeake

In the early 17th century, Americans in Virginia and Maryland discovered tobacco to be very profitable. A lot of land was given to tobacco plantations because there was such a high demand for the good in Europe. Before the 17th century indentured servants were used to cultivate the land, but soon the new world's appeal to potential indentured servants decreased because the land grants they were formerly promised were no longer available. Therefore, plantation owners began to import slaves from Africa to do the work. The slaves were taken from their families in Africa and worked all day cultivating, drying leaves, and packing the tobacco. Many slaves tried to escape from their owners but very few succeeded. Generally they were taken back to the plantation and whipped hundreds of times or castrated as punishment.