Breakdown:

1. Promise of Land and Wealth: The colonial project in what became the United States was essentially a scheme to transfer wealth through the promise of land. English settlers were often enticed by promises like “40 acres of land,” which wasn’t owned by the British, but was occupied by Native Americans. The settlers, once arriving, would forcibly claim this land, transferring wealth through acts of violence and colonization.
2. Contradictory Narratives: A common paradox in colonial narratives is the belief that Native Americans were incapable of farming, yet they were the ones who taught European settlers essential agricultural techniques, such as how to plant crops using methods like Squanto’s nitrogen-fixing fish technique. This contradictory view, where Native Americans were seen as both incompetent and knowledgeable, shows the cognitive dissonance settlers maintained to justify the theft of land.
3. The Process of Colonization: Settlers, armed with minimal resources and aided by violence, would claim land that was already farmed by Native Americans. They would then harvest crops already planted, effectively seizing wealth with minimal input. This wealth transfer was based on the idea that land ownership was a form of instant prosperity, giving settlers the ability to grow food, build homes, and even mine for valuable resources like coal and gold.
4. Labor-Intensive Tobacco: Tobacco, a lucrative but labor-intensive crop, became central to colonial wealth. However, a single farmer working alone couldn’t quickly amass wealth. As soon as settlers could afford it, they would expand their labor force, starting with mail-order brides, then indentured servants, and finally slaves. Each new addition to their labor pool was designed to maximize the production of tobacco.
5. Exploitation of Indentured Servants and Slaves: Settlers used indentured servants for labor, but their eventual freedom created a conflict of interest. To resolve this, settlers shifted to enslaved Africans, whose labor could be exploited without the promise of freedom. This system allowed settlers to further accumulate wealth by stealing the life and labor of others while providing minimal sustenance in return.
6. Cyclical Wealth Transfer: The entire colonial economy was built on a series of exploitative wealth transfers. First, settlers took land from Native Americans, then they exploited the labor of slaves and indentured servants, and finally, they sold tobacco—a product that ultimately harmed consumers, slowly killing them while generating profit. This system transferred life force and wealth from every party involved, enriching the colonists at the expense of indigenous populations, enslaved people, and their customers.