Significance of tobacco in world history
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Asses the significance that tobacco has had in world history.
Tobacco has had a significant impact on world history. The plant grows natively in North and South America, and has played a significant role spiritually, culturally, socially, and economically, ever since the people of the pre-Columbian Americas first used it. The discoveries of Columbus marked a turning-point in the history of Tobacco. The leaves and seeds brought back by sailors to Europe were spread throughout the world; to Spain in 1558 and quickly thereafter to France, England, Italy, the Balkans and Russia by sailors, merchants, and explorers. It was a robust plant, easily adaptable and transferable to new regions. In today's world, tobacco is known and used throughout all quarters of the globe.
Tobacco was sacred among native Americans, their "prayers and thanks wafting to heaven on tobacco smoke". When Indians began to worship the amazing items introduced by the Europeans notably their guns, knives and hatchets they blew sacred tobacco smoke onto them. The story continued wherever settlers and explorers pushed back the American Frontier and made contact with local Indians...