Today, we’re delving into a topic that may leave a bitter taste in your mouth, as we uncover the dirty past of the tobacco industry and the slave trade.
Now, we all know tobacco has a long and controversial history, but did you know that it’s not just the addictive nature of nicotine that’s dark? The story runs much deeper than that. In fact, the roots of the tobacco industry are deeply intertwined with the dark legacy of slavery, and how enslaved Africans were ruthlessly exploited to advance this profitable trade.
Imagine this: it’s the 17th century, and tobacco is becoming a booming commodity in the American colonies. Demand is skyrocketing, and plantations are sprouting up left and right. But the question arises – who will do the backbreaking work of planting, cultivating, and harvesting this cash crop?
Enter the horrifying reality of enslaved Africans.
These men, women, and children were forcibly ripped from their homes in Africa, packed like sardines into the horrific conditions of the Middle Passage, and sold like property to work on tobacco plantations in the New World. Shockingly, by the late 17th century, the vast majority of tobacco plantations in the American colonies were worked by enslaved labourers. In fact, in Virginia alone, enslaved Africans made up a staggering 70% of the labour force on tobacco plantations!
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