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Tobacco’s Journey From Indian Gift to American Crop
The article traces tobacco’s discovery by Columbus’s crew in the West Indies, the first white smoker Rodrigo del Jerez, and the spread of beliefs about tobacco’s uses and omens. It notes how tobacco became a panacea, ritualized by various cultures, and its rise and decline as a regional cash crop in Illinois.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Christopher Columbus
West Indies
Columbus
Cuba
Rodrigo del Jerez
Xrame
del Jerez
England
Near East
Arius
Illinois