Constricting My Creativity
May 28, 2008
This afternoon I wrote a paper for my History of Virginia class. I had a list of possible topics to choose from but it all came from one book, Anne Orthwood’s Bastard. I think I might have mentioned it before but I don’t remember. Anyway, I wrote my paper on the influence of tobacco within the colony with a specific focus on it’s use as a currency. I could have really sunk my teeth into that as a subject but I was limited to 500 words. Now I think my paper is stunted and incomplete. It will have to do since points would be deducted for going over the limit. I wonder what the teacher values more, a well thought out argument and presentation of evidence, or a smaller word count? I guess I’ll find out soon. Anyway, here is my actual paper. I hope you enjoy.
The Influence of Tobacco in 17th Century Virginia
During the 17th century in Virginia, currency was a scarce commodity. Most transactions and business at the time were conducted not in money, but in barter for pounds of tobacco. This had a profound impact on the social and legal systems of Virginia; Wealth was measured in lbs of tobacco as with William Kendall, the court operated with it as the basis for punishment, and the county was funded with taxes paid in tobacco.
At this time period in Virginia, there was a very strict social hierarchy in place. The best way to advance within this structure was to accumulate wealth. William Kendall’s rise from indentured servant to powerful figure is a prime example. He proved to be excellent in business once he gained his freedom but his wealth did not really grow until he was given land in a will. Within a few years he was able to export huge quantities of tobacco such as in Nov 1656 when he “… shipped to Amsterdam between 80 and 100 hogsheads, containing roughly 500-600 pounds of tobacco apiece.”[1]Within a relatively short time of this, he was a major land holder and speculator with an appointment to the county court. Over his lifetime, he at one point or another held title to tens of thousands of acres in tobacco country, all while his wealth and power increased.
Tobacco played an important role in how the legal system functioned in the area. According to Pagan, the county court would convene on a schedule based partially around crop schedules (58). However, the real role of tobacco in law was as a punishment. Nearly all the cases mentioned in the book use tobacco fines as a punishment. One magistrate, John Stringer, collected of “…pounds of tobacco,…, 50 pounds each (for three people),…, 100 pounds” for perceived insults and slander[2]. Another case mentioned, Jones v. Selby (1658), had the defendant’s punishment “took the form of 1,000 pounds of tobacco in damages rather then the rescission of the transaction”[3] Even within their ecclesiastical duties, punishment could be a tobacco fine or corporal punishment depending on circumstances. This is shown in the 1658 statute against fornication which read that “’every person,’ male or female, had to pay a fine of 500 pounds of tobacco,…, or be whipped.”[4] This system favored the wealthy landowners as opposed to the servant who could never expect to raise that much independently.
The various county governments also depended on tobacco paid as taxes in order to function. For example, “the overall tax rate,…, was 100 pounds of tobacco for every …”[5] These funds were used for everything from government operation to poor relief and church expenses. The level and uses of these taxes often caused conflict given the value of the tobacco.
Tobacco was the lifeblood of early Virginia. It was the first cash crop of the state and affected every realm of life in the colony. Without it, the history of Virginia would be extremely different.
496
[1] John Ruston Pagan, Anne Orthwood’s Bastard: Sex and Law in Early Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), 30.
[2] Ibid., 59.
[3] Ibid., 75.
[4] Ibid., 121.
[5] Ibid., 83.
I’m surprised that the formatting cooperated with this. I’ll be interested in seeing how it looks on the actual page. I guess that if my paper went over the word limit, I wouldn’t be able to post it here.
Currently listening to: “Recycled Air” by The Postal Service
