Final answer:
The survival and expansion of Virginia in the 17th century were largely due to the cultivation of tobacco, which became a reliable source of profit for the colony and brought stability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The survival and expansion of Virginia were primarily due to the
cultivation of tobacco
. From the early 17th century, the colonists in the Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland discovered that growing tobacco was the surest way of making money. These colonists, largely unmarried, unemployed, and impatient young Englishmen, saw opportunity in the tobacco fields of these two colonies. Despite initial struggles, by the 1620s, the Virginia colony was exporting tobacco to England, becoming a profitable venture and bringing stability to the colony. The cultivation of tobacco essentially saved the colony from ruin and paved the way for its growth and expansion.
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