In its early history, Jamestown was fraught with problems, but it eventually began to prosper with its tobacco agriculture providing a strong financial incentive to expand which led the founding of another colony in the region, Maryland. John Rolfe introduced tobacco into the Virginia colony. Tobacco proved to be the colony’s economic salvation. Profits from its sale created a boom in the colony, however, the pursuit of profits from tobacco agriculture diverted time and other resources from basic tasks, such as planting food crops and repairing building and settlers in Virginia continued to die at an alarming rate.
Political order in Virginia proved difficult. In 1618, Sir Edwin Sandys became treasurer and instituted reforms to make the government of the colony more effective. Virginia’s new legislative body, the House of Burgesses (representatives), first convened in July 1619. Rather than take orders from company officials, the colonists gained some control over their own political affairs, a milestone in the evolution of representative government in