In the seventh century, tobacco was a labor-intensive cash crop of Colonial America. In 1614, a merchant John Rolfe began the cultivation of tobacco in the Jamestown colony in colonial Virginia. By time 1627 had came around, over half a million pounds of tobacco were shipped to Britain from the colony. British colonialism in North America expanded, which meant so did the tobacco plantations and, in time, tobacco served not only as the economic foundation of the colonies but as currency. The process of growing and selling tobacco moved through a series of steps which included the farmer receiving a tobacco note (a kind of check) in return for his product with which he could purchase goods. The tobacco was shipped to English merchants who would send back more goods in payment.
This process was observed on a constant basis and the colonies flourished further after the Maryland and Carolina colonies were established and their plantations began to produce more tobacco. As tobacco was a labor-intensive crop, it encouraged the slave trade as well as clearing large tracts of land formerly occupied by indigenous nations.
Overall, the need to grow, produce, and ship tobacco in the colonies led to more and more settlers moving to colonial America, whether it be to farm and produce it, manage the tobacco plantations, or ship it back to Britain.