The plantation system and forced labor of enslaved Africans enabled the commercial production of this labor-intensive crop to flourish. During the 1700s, the number of enslaved Africans in the Chesapeake Bay area and North Carolina increased from 10,000 to one million due to the increased European demand for tobacco, which led to a higher demand for labor.
Explore More
African Rice
Oryza glaberrima
Carolina Gold Rice
Oryza sativa 'Carolina Gold'
Pearl Millet
Pennisetum glaucum