Final answer:
John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown in 1612 and introduced a new Caribbean tobacco strain, which became Virginia's profitable cash crop and led to the establishment of the plantation system and the slave trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Rolfe arrived in Jamestown, a fledgling English colony, seeking fortune and opportunity. Unlike many colonists who were preoccupied with the elusive search for gold, Rolfe brought with him seeds for a new tobacco strain from the Caribbean. This particular variety, known as Orinoco tobacco, was smoother and sweeter than the native strains used by the Virginia Indians.
By 1612, Rolfe began cultivating it at a plantation in Varina, setting the foundation for tobacco to become Virginia's golden resource. The agricultural innovation introduced by Rolfe not only helped solidify the colony but also had profound effects on the wider economy and society. Tobacco demand soared in England and Europe, transforming Jamestown into a profitable venture for the Virginia Company. It spurred the development of plantation systems and, eventually, influenced the growth of the slave trade, as the labor-intensive crop required a large workforce.
The peace with the Powhatan, solidified in part by Rolfe's marriage to Pocahontas, allowed for the expansion of tobacco cultivation. However, the success of tobacco as a cash crop and the corresponding land expansion led to rising tensions, subsequent wars with the natives, and a tragic impact on the Powhatan Confederacy.