Reading the “Cartoon History of the United states” by Larry Gonick, gave me a better understanding on what this class is based on and help create an idea on what lies ahead for this class. The cartoons help capture a better idea on how certain events and historical figures effected our American history. With United States history not being as certain to begin with, for starts, Christopher Columbus, who is falsely believe the first to discover America and celebrated every year but as some historians believe, He just came and took over, killed thousand millions of the truly founders of North American. The Cartoon Book clears things up and helps student understand what it all truly means.
The Cartoon book offers a more visual understanding to what the textbook is trying to explain. In pages 12-13, of the cartoon book, for example, the author gives a better understanding on how tobacco really effects the colonies and even how it effects us today while the “American History,A survey” by Alan Brinkley focus more on the exchange of tobacco between England and New England and the troubles it brought with the natives. Until John Rolfe discovered the native tobacco plant the colonies had little hope to survive let alone success. Soon as the first shipment of tobacco was sent, England was hooked and the colonies had created their own hope. England became addicted to smoking, sniffing and even chewing tobacco. Even though many educated people stated that they believe the tobacco was bad, England continued. The only down fall was that tobacco would wore out the land in just a few years and with it in high demand, it made farmers spend out closer and at some points on to Native American's land. On page 36, Brinkley claimed, “Tobacco cultivation grow quickly... tobacco growers needed larger areas...because tobacco tired out the soil after a few years...farms began creating plantations encroaching on territory natives considered their own.”As the years went by tobacco became over powerful, dominating colonies for centuries and at one point so valuable it was used as money. Even though Tobacco was a great success, only few found fortune while others , like the Virginia Company, found bankruptcy. Tobacco plantations eventually started using African Americans for cheap labor. Slaves brought by the Triangular Trade, where they were kidnap from their homeland and sailed over seas for months in poor conditions and when they landed they were sold to the highest bettor, working for them till the end of their harsh life. Slavery allowed other plantations to earn good profits, for example, rice. The economies for South Carolina and Georgia was stabilized by rice production. The land allowed farmers to create rice paddies that could be flooded and then drained. When the white servants refused to work in the hot, knee-deep mud, farmers turned to slaves to get the harsh work done. With slaves, plantation owners grew richer because not only did they know how to do their jobs well and fast , they were immune to local diseases for in rice fields as well as the ones in tobacco crops. Even thought rice made good profit it was nothing compared to the money made by tobacco companies. Through centuries tobacco companies stayed strong, surviving to this present day and making millions. In my opinion I believe was something at the time, colonist felt saved them but in the long run for that it was tougher on them and was just making England richer.
