History of Cigarettes essays

History of Cigarettes essays Tobacco was first introduced to Western Society in the 16th Century. There is evidence that the herb was being used in Asia and Northern America for centuries before its introduction to European explorers. Christopher Columbus said that he witnessed the great use of tobacco among the Native Americans when he discovered America in the late 15th Century but there is evidence of earlier explorers having seen that before Columbus. French explorer Jacques Cartier wrote the first report of early experimentation by Europeans, describing how he had smoked tobacco with Native Americans while in the Americas. The Europeans were amazed by the American Indian culture that told of tobacco being used as a medicine to cure mental and physical problems (i.e. sexually transmitted diseases) when it was first introduced in Europe. In England and France, tobacco was seen as a privilege because of the tales of Sir Walter Raleigh, which convinced even the queen to start smoking. In the US, tobacco farming grew greatly, because it was the preferred way to trade with Europe for their manufactured goods. Because of this, methods had to be developed to make tobacco survive days by ship across the seas, so the early settlers developed fire-curing and later charcoal curing which made it keep its taste and be able to last longer. Tobacco was introduced into Europe in the mid-16th Century, France in 1556, then Portugal in 1558, Spain 1559 and England in 1565 then it just spread to all In many Indian cultures, tobacco was used in religious practices. The smell of the smoke from burning tobacco leaves was an incense for offerings to the gods. Augurs and sooth-sayers observed the motions of tobacco sparks and smoke to try to foretell the future. In many tribes of North America, ...