The Real Life Of Virginia Planter Patriarchs

The Virginia planter patriarchs seemed to be busy people making sure their properties were run correctly, slaves and indentured did their jobs, finances were done. Though it seems to be quite different between the rich and the poor. The rich were likely to sit back and lay under the magnolias while the slaves did all the work on the farm. There wouldn’t be much for the rich patriarchs to do, they would have quite a bit of free time on their hands compared to the poor patriarchs. Poor patriarchs would likely get their hands dusty with their family, and whatever servant or slaves they may have. Reclining under a Magnolia tree would not be an option for them as they would be quite busy on the farm getting things ready to be plant, harvested, or ready to be sent off to England. However, being a Virginia planter patriarch could come with some hefty prices.

If tobacco was mismanaged it could bring on financial issues, or even issues amongst the families themselves. Tobacco was very important. It was considered a cash crop for the colony as it brought in a ton of money and was in demand. Growing tobacco was another problem. It needed to be checked daily for pests such as hornworms. Hornworms eat the leaves of the plants, thus destroying them. Something that goes bad is no use to sell, which could bring upon financial problems for families. Tobacco was grown in beds before Christmas and once the weather started to warm up they were then moved to fields. The plant would grow, and people would come out daily to remove insects and weeds to keep them from harming the plant. This was a very extensive process. It had to keep being repeated until it was ready to be harvest. The stalks would be cut to allow the suckers to grow out and these leaves would then be hand cut. After wards they would be hung to dry for a few weeks. Then they would be taken to get inspected for “trash” tobacco. Mostly poor farms would do this. If they were found to be nothing but trash, they would be burned. The good leaves however, were packed and sent over to England.

To keep up with the growing demands of tobacco farmers needed indentured servants. Sadly, that did not last long as conditions improved in England and most people decided it wasn’t worth to leave to the New World anymore. Slaves eventually replaced the indentured servants as time went on. They were given no rights and were expected by their owners/ masters to do as they were told. Some would give punishments to those who refused to do what they were told to do. On the other hand, the colony seemed to have a better religious tolerance then in England. People did not mind other religions if they didn’t go crazy like the Quakers did. If the religious groups remained calm and didn’t go on religious movements, the colony seemed to be okay with it. But back in England, things got intense with Roman Catholic Church and King Henry VIII.