Here’s a dark twist: All this money only worked if you had land and labor. The rich took the best soil and the enslaved people did the work. Back-breaking, scar-producing work.
Tobacco wore out the soil in 10 years. Indigo required constant new land. So the rich just pushed westward, taking more Native American land. The money was built on theft and sweat.
But the cool part? This cash created American culture. The first fortune made in America came from these crops. It bought the books, the houses, and the politics that led to a revolution.
