Hard Life.

Little is known about John Rolfe's life before he came to the British colonies. He was born in Norfolk, England, on 6 May 1585. In 1609 he and his wife left England aboard the Sea Adventure. They were stranded temporarily in Bermuda, where their daughter was born and died. Upon arriving in Virginia, John Rolfe's wife died, as did most new settlers in the colony.

Cash Crop.

By 1612 Rolfe was sampling native tobacco for cultivation in Virginia. It was harsh when smoked, and many Englishmen said it was "unpalatable." Rolfe experimented with imported tobacco seeds from the West Indies and developed a tobacco leaf that was "as pleasant, sweet, and strong . . . as any under the sunne." Its success resulted in tobacco quickly becoming a staple crop for export to England. Tobacco became the first profitable crop on the mainland, laying a foundation for the...