A Trace of the Development of Southern Nationality nationalism (n sh -n -l z m, n sh n -) 1.Devotion to the interests or culture of a particular nation. 2.The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals. 3.Aspirations for national independence in a country under foreign domination. The first successful colony in the future U.S.A was Jamestown, founded in 1607. The group was made up of townsmen and adventurers more interested in finding gold than farming. It was not long, however, before a development occurred that revolutionized Virginia's economy. In 1612 John Rolfe began cross-breeding imported tobacco seed from the West Indies with native plants and produced a new variety that was more pleasing to Europeans. Within a decade it had become Virginia's chief source of revenue. This established the south as a primarily agricultural region. In the south, the first blacks were brought to Virginia in 1619, just 12 years after the founding of Jamestown. Initially, many were regarded as indentured servants who could earn their freedom. By the 1660s, however, as the demand for plantation labor in the Southern colonies grew, the institution of slavery began to harden around them, and Africans were brought to America in shackles for a lifetime of involuntary servitude. In contrast to New England and the middle colonies were the predominantly rural southern settlements: Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. By the late 17th century, Virginia's and Maryland's economic and social structure rested on the great planters and the small farmers. The planters of this region, supported by slave labor, held most of the political power and the best land. They built great houses, adopted an aristocratic way of life and kept in touch as best they could with the world of culture overseas. At the same time, small farmers, who worked smaller tra...
