slept in his bosom,cut her in pieces,salted her and fed upon her till he had clean devoured all parts saving her head... A petitionby thirty colonists to the House of Burgesses,complaining against the twelve-year governorship of Sir Thomas Smith,said: In those 12 years of Sir Thomas Smith,his government,we aver that the colony for the most part remained in great want and misery under most severe and cruel laws...The allowance in those times for a man was only eight ounces of meale and half a pint of peas for a day...mouldy,rotten,full of cobwebs and maggots,loathsome to man and not fit for beasts,which forced many to flee for relief to the savage enemy,who being taken again were put to sundry deaths as by hanging,shooting and breaking upon the wheel...of whom one for stealing two or three pints of oatmeal had a bodkin thrust through his tongue and was tied with a chain to a tree until he starved... The Virginians needed labor,to grow corn for subsistence,to grow tobacco for export.They had just figured out how to grow tobacco,and in 1617 they sent off the first cargo to England.Finding that,like all pleasureable drugs tainted with moral disapproval, it brought a high price,the planters,despite their high religious talk yere not going to ask questions about something so profitable. They couldn't force the Indians to work for them,as Coltinbus had done.They were outnumbered,and while,with superior firearms,they could massacre Indians,they would face massacre in return.They could not capture them and keep them enslaved;the Indians were tough,resourceful,defiant,and at home d these woods,as the transplanted Englishmen were not. White servants had not yet been brought over in sufficient quantity.Besides,they did not come out of slavery,and did not have to do more than contract their labor for a few years to get their passage and a start in the New World.As for the free white settlers, many of them were skilled craftsmerfor even men of leisure back in England,who were so little inclined to work the land that John Smith,in those early years,had to declare a kind of martial law,organize them into work gangs,and force them into the fields for survival. There may have been a kibd of frustrated rage at their own ineptitude,at the Indian superiority at taking gare of themselves,that made the Virginians especially ready to become the mastersof aves.Edmund Morgan imagines their mood as he writes in his book American Slavery,American Freedom: If you were a colonist,you knew that your technology was superior to the Indians'.You knew that you were civilized,and they were savages...But your superior technology had proved insufficient to extract anything.The Indians,keeping to themselves,laughed at your superior methods and lived from the land more abundantly and with less labor than you did...And when your own people started deserting in order to live with them,it was too much...So you killed the Indians,tortured them,burned their villages,burned their cornfields.It proved your superiority,in spite of your failures.And you gave similar treatment to any of your own people who succumbed to their savage ways of life.But you still did not grow much corn... Black slaves were the answer.And it was natural to consider imported blacks as slaves,even if the institution of slavery would not be regularized and legalized for several decades.Because,by 1619,a million blacks had already been brought from Africa to South America and the Caribbean,to the Portuguese and Spanish colonies,to work asslept in his bosom, cut her in pieces, salted her and fed upon her till he had clean devoured all parts saving her head... A petitionby thirty colonists to the House of Burgesses, complaining against the twelve-year governorship of Sir Thomas Smith, said: In those 12 years of Sir Thomas Smith, his government, we aver that the colony for the most part remained in great want and misery under most severe and cruel laws... The allowance in those times for a man was only eight ounces of meale and half a pint of peas for a day... mouldy, rotten, full of cobwebs and maggots, loathsome to man and not fit for beasts, which forced many to flee for relief to the savage enemy, who being taken again were put to sundry deaths as by hanging, shooting and breaking upon the wheel... of whom one for stealing two or three pints of oatmeal had a bodkin thrust through his tongue and was tied with a chain to a tree until he starved... The Virginians needed labor, to grow corn for subsistence, to grow tobacco for export. They had just figured out how to grow tobacco, and in 1617 they sent off the first cargo to England. Finding that, like all pleasureable drugs tainted with moral disapproval, it brought a high price, the planters, despite their high religious talk, were not going to ask questions about something so profitable. They couldn't force the Indians to work for them, as Columbus had done. They were outnumbered, and while, with superior firearms, they could massacre Indians, they would face massacre in return. They could not capture them and keep them enslaved; the Indians were tough, resourceful, defiant, and at home in these woods, as the transplanted Englishmen were not. White servants had not yet been brought over in sufficient quantity. Besides, they did not come out of slavery, and did not have to do more than contract their labor for a few years to get their passage and a start in the New World. As for the free white settlers, many of them were skilled craftsmen, or even men of leisure back in England, who were so little inclined to work the land that John Smith, in those early years, had to declare a kind of martial law, organize them into work gangs, and force them into the fields for survival. There may have been a kind of frustrated rage at their own ineptitude, at the Indian superiority at taking care of themselves, that made the Virginians especially ready to become the masters of slaves. Edmund Morgan imagines their mood as he writes in his book American Slavery, American Freedom: If you were a colonist, you knew that your technology was superior to the Indians'. You knew that you were civilized, and they were savages... But your superior technology had proved insufficient to extract anything. The Indians, keeping to themselves, laughed at your superior methods and lived from the land more abundantly and with less labor than you did... And when your own people started deserting in order to live with them, it was too much... So you killed the Indians, tortured them, burned their villages, burned their cornfields. It proved your superiority, in spite of your failures. And you gave similar treatment to any of your own people who succumbed to their savage ways of life. But you still did not grow much corn... Black slaves were the answer. And it was natural to consider imported blacks as slaves, even if the institution of slavery would not be regularized and legalized for several decades. Because, by 1619, a million blacks had already been brought from Africa to South America and the Caribbean, to the Portuguese and Spanish colonies, to work as No Profit Use Only