Tobacco Summary

English Colonies would be completely transformed in the 1600’s by tobacco alone. The demanding addiction of tobacco in many forms—smoke, chew, sniff, and drink—would strengthen the commercial value with great interest. King James greatly looked down on smoking. He implied it as “…hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs…” King James was disgusted with the people and their attraction to tobacco. This is an interesting observation opposed to the Spaniards. To them, tobacco was known as a wonder drug. Physicians claimed it brought peace, cures , happiness, and it was a precious herb for anyone. Funding this high addiction was quite costly. For example, in 1603, New Spain brought 25,000 pounds of tobacco into England. By the 1700’s England was demanding and urging 40 million pounds of tobacco. One major reason the sales were so successful, was because tobacco was also sold at a reasonable price. Although tobacco is not a healthy lifestyle, it brought many benefits to Europe. Tobacco produced much business and activity. Everything that came with smoking tobacco from pipes to tin boxes to pipe cleaners brought people business and wealth. Tobacco changed the lives of Europe as well as shaped it’s economy and lifestyles.