Final answer:
During the 19th century, as the capitalist system grew, colonies shifted from traditional crops like tobacco and rice to cash crops such as cotton, sugar, coffee, and later rubber to meet the demands of European factories.
Step-by-step explanation:
As colonies developed during the 19th century, particularly within the context of the expanding capitalist system, there was a transition towards other kinds of cash crops. The initial raw materials grown in the colonies, such as tobacco and rice, were later supplemented or even replaced by crops like cotton, sugar, and coffee due to increasing demand and the ability to produce finished goods in the home country.
In the Antebellum South of the United States, cotton became the most important commercial crop, spurred by the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. In Latin America, the focus remained largely on sugar and coffee, while later, Brazil began to produce rubber. This cultivation of alternative cash crops was driven by the desire to fulfill the raw material needs of European factories, which enabled the production of lucrative finished goods. Yet, these shifts in agricultural focus also reinforced economic dependencies of the former colonies on the industrialized nations. The rise of plantation agriculture solidified these patterns of trade, with plantations often owned by Europeans and worked on, primarily, by enslaved persons and later by laborers under harsh conditions, especially during peak seasons. Ultimately, these agricultural trends were a reflection of colonialist ambitions and the evolving needs of global capitalism.