Tobacco field in Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland.
Credit: Library of Congress
Home — MPT in the Classroom — The Dig — The Dig Lesson Starters — Plantations in Colonial Maryland
Grade 4, Grades 6–8
Europeans were looking for a more profitable way to harvest cash crops. The fertile land in the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) was used to grow and harvest tobacco, rice, and indigo. The British adopted the plantation system in the colonies in order to increase their profits. Farming these cash crops required a significant amount of human resources so plantation owners used the forced labor of enslaved Africans instead of hiring indentured servants.
In this lesson, students will learn more about what life was like on a tobacco plantation in the Southern Colonies during the 1600s.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Objective
Students will be able to explain what life was like living and working on a tobacco plantation during the 1600s.
The Dig Clip
Thinking questions:
- How was planting tobacco different from the way other crops were planted?
- What responsibilities did men have on a plantation?
- What responsibilities did women have on a plantation?
- Why was it important to plant and maintain a garden on a plantation?
- How would you describe the house of a successful plantation owner?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
Activity 1
Visit the Prince George's County Historical Society's website to read about the prosperous tobacco market in Maryland. With a partner describe what life was like being enslaved and working on a plantation in Maryland.
Activity 2
What crops did the other Southern Colonies grow? Visit the Southern Colonies website to learn more about the founding and development of the Southern Colonies.
Activity 3
Enslaved vs. Indentured Labor
People who were enslaved were owned by another person. They were not considered citizens and did not have any rights. They were forced to work under grueling conditions and were frequently treated inhumanely by the people who owned them.
People who lived as an indentured servant often signed a contract to work for a certain period of time in a new place knowing their freedom was guaranteed at the end of their service.
Visit the two websites to analyze the images. What do you notice? What do you wonder about? What questions do you have? With a partner, discuss the differences of enslavement and indentured servitude.
This learning resource is a production of Maryland Public Television/Thinkport.
