<P> During the British colonization of North America, the Thirteen Colonies provided England with much needed money and resources . However, the culture of the Southern and Chesapeake Colonies was different from that of the Northern and Middle Colonies and from that of their common British colonial power . </P> <P> Though indigo and rice were also grown, the demand for tobacco and the ease with which it grew turned tobacco into the largest cash crop for the Chesapeake and southern colonies . The desirable niche that tobacco held in the world market resulted in great prosperity for the regions in which it was grown . </P> <P> As agriculture grew in importance in the southern economy, the demand for more workers grew as well . Early on, labor shortages were solved temporarily by indentured servitude; however, this system eventually proved inefficient . Because Native Americans proved independent and difficult to enslave for forced cultivation and indentured servants were only temporary, growers in the South turned to African slave importation to meet their demand for labor . These slaves left a lasting impact upon southern agricultural techniques as well as social aspects of southern society . The family was also affected by the change also, because the need for slaves . </P>

What crops were vital to the success of the southern colonies