Tobacco United Plant North Products Eslpod States Carolina

The "tobacco" (the leaves used in cigarettes and related products) plant "is native to" (comes from; was originally found in) the Americas. The first tobacco seeds were brought to North America from Trinidad in the early 1600s, and the first tobacco crop was sold to Europe in 1612. Since then, tobacco has been an important "crop" (something grown for food or to make products for sale) in the United States. Tobacco grew best in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and more generally in the southeastern part of what is now the United States.

In the 17th century, heavy demand for "snuff" (tobacco that is ground up into very small pieces and then "inhaled" (breathed in) through the nose) "prompted" (motivated; caused someone to do something) many farmers to plant tobacco over large areas of land known as "plantations." Most of the tobacco "harvest" (the products taken from a field) was exported to Europe, which was a significant "stimulus" (something that helps something grow or become more active) for the economy in North America. Until the mid-1900s, the United States was the world's largest manufacturer and "exporter" (a country that sells and sends products to other countries) of tobacco.

Because tobacco is a "labor-intensive crop" (a type of plant that requires a lot of agricultural labor), it "fueled" (caused to grow or increase) the "slave trade" (the practice of buying and selling people who are forced to work without pay). Plantation owners depended on slave labor to produce a high-quality crop, and slaves who developed strong skills in tobacco production were valued more highly than other slaves.