Final answer:
The main crop early American settlers anticipated to cultivate was corn, but tobacco quickly became the primary cash crop due to its lucrative nature and high demand in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early settlers in the Americas initially wanted the main crop to be corn (maize) but ended up with tobacco as the dominant crop. Tobacco was a highly lucrative cash crop in the Chesapeake colonies which most enslaved laborers were used to grow, far exceeding the economic importance of other crops like corn, wheat, rice, or even sugar. Despite attempts to ban its use due to its controversial nature, tobacco's popularity soared as Europeans became addicted to it.
Contrary to corn, which became a staple in Europe, tobacco maintained its status as the primary cash crop in the Americas, particularly in the Chesapeake colonies. The demand for this crop significantly shaped the colonial agricultural economy and also influenced patterns of settlement and land usage.