Thus, when tobacco (despite the best efforts of the local government and others) emerged as the colony's saving grace (especially in the boom period of the 1620s), the importation of indentured servants rose dramatically. The absence of labor combined with an abundance of land placed a premium on workers. Unfortunately, due to widespread unemployment in England, they had grown accustomed to not working much at all. Those from the lower economic strata dominated the second group. One group were gentlemen for whom work remained a disturbing activity. Too many of the new Virginians could be placed in two categories. Under the Virginia Company, Jamestown fared poorly in the initial years due, according to Morgan, not from lack of organization or political leadership but rather the type of immigrants that arrived. In the book's first half, Morgan illustrates the conditions in Virginia that led to its use of indentured servitude along with the development of concurrent political processes that allowed wealthy "big men" to dominate. Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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