Tobacco and Slaves

Tobacco was a popular commodity among Europeans, and they relied on colonies like Virginia and Maryland to provide it. Consumption and production expanded dramatically between the 1670s and the 1750s. The 17.5 million pounds of tobacco exported from the Chesapeake in 1672 leapt to nearly 51 million pounds by 1750. While many small farmers cultivated tobacco with only the aid of family members or indentured servants, increased demand drove others to seek new sources of labor. Laws that codified the status of slaves encouraged more planters to invest in Africans (Document 3.5).

Many planters worried about how to balance proper care of slaves, in whom they had invested significant capital, with the need for discipline (Documents 3.6 and 3.8). At the same time, tobacco planters sought to promote a positive image that would appeal to consumers and English authorities (Document 3.7). While large slave owners could find themselves deeply in debt when prices fell, they were still likely to gain the greatest profits from the tobacco trade.

As tobacco production increased in Virginia, so did the importation of enslaved Africans. While 4,000 Africans were imported in the 1690s, more than 15,000 arrived in the 1730s. By 1740, natural reproduction added to the steady rise in Virginia’s African American population. The vast majority of black Virginians were enslaved, and the greatest number worked in tobacco. While much of the work of clearing fields, weeding, and hoeing was considered unskilled, the cutting, stemming, and packing of tobacco leaf required considerable skill (Documents 3.7 and 3.8). In response to the arduous labor and harsh discipline, some slaves ran away and others organized collective escapes (Document 3.9). However, most of Virginia’s enslaved workers remained locked into the tobacco cycle, along with their children and grandchildren.

The following documents highlight the roles that legislators, planters, and enslaved workers played in the production of tobacco and the challenges they faced. Although no slaves left us direct descriptions of their lives, consider what these documents tell us about their experiences.