The leaders of the Virginia Company recruited more settlers and reorganized the colony. They allowed the new settlers to own land. Those settlers began to grow tobacco, a crop they learned about from the Indians. By 1612, Virginians were shipping tobacco to England, which led other settlers to come over and try their hand at raising the crop. Because growing tobacco required large plots of land, the small tobacco farms grew into large farms, or plantations. Tobacco soon became the backbone of the Virginia economy and the first cash crop grown in America.

What is the main idea expressed in the reading?
(1 point)
A. the bad effects of growing tobacco
B. the role tobacco played in the economy of Virginia
C. the attempts of the Virginia Company to recruit settlers
D. the favorable conditions in Virginia for growing tobacco

B. the role tobacco played in the economy of Virginia

The main idea expressed in the reading is B. the role tobacco played in the economy of Virginia.