VS.4a & VS.4b: Agriculture and Culture in Colonial Virginia

In colonial Virginia, what does it mean that tobacco became a cash crop?

• It was grown to trade for tools at markets

• It was grown to sell for money to buyers

• It was grown mainly to share with neighbors

• It was grown only to feed farmers' families

Which statement best explains why farmers in Virginia needed a large labor force to grow tobacco?

• Tobacco grew slowly but needed little attention

• Tobacco was planted once and harvested for years

• Tobacco fields could grow without human help

• Tobacco plants demanded careful work over many steps

Which labor system was used more and more after indentured servants in Virginia tobacco farming?

• Free tenant workers paid by the season

• Child apprentices learning farm skills

• Enslaved Africans forced to work without pay

• Visiting traders who helped during harvest

Which groups are correctly matched with what they brought to colonial Virginia?

• Africans—new crops but no cultural traditions

• English settlers—African music and dance customs

• Scots-Irish and Germans—languages, traditions, building styles

• Indigenous peoples—European government and laws

Where did English and other Europeans primarily settle in Virginia?

• Blue Ridge and Valley regions

• Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions

• Appalachian and Ridge regions

• Plateau and Mountain regions

Which statement best describes an indentured servant in colonial Virginia?

• A person who agreed to work for a few years to repay a debt

• A person who owned large farms and hired many workers

• A person forced to work for life without freedom or pay

• A person elected by towns to make local colonial laws

What made the transatlantic slave trade different from indentured servitude?

• People moved within colonies seeking better farm soil

• People chose short contracts to pay travel costs

• People received land and voting rights after two years

• People were taken from Africa by force and sold for life

Where did many Germans and Scots-Irish settle in Virginia during migration?

• The Tidewater islands close to shipyards

• The Shenandoah Valley along the migration route

• The Coastal Plain near large ocean harbors

• The Piedmont near major tobacco markets

Which change did the 1705 Virginia Slave Codes make most clear?

• Enslaved people could sue owners for fair treatment

• People with African heritage were defined as property for life

• All workers had the right to choose their employers

• Children born in the colonies were automatically free at 18

A farmer in 1670 needs many workers for tobacco. He can hire an indentured servant for four years, or buy an enslaved person for life. Using evidence, which choice would plantation owners often make, and why?

• Enslaved labor for life because it provided permanent work without freedom

• Indentured labor for four years because it cost less over a lifetime

• Indentured labor for four years because contracts were easily renewed

• Enslaved labor for life because it guaranteed nearby voting rights