The story of tobacco is, too, largely the achievement of Negro labor. In 1618, the Virginia planters exported 20 lb. of tobacco, which increased to 1,500,000 lb. in 1639 and reached a total of 53,000,000 lb. in 1773. In 1937, the United States raised more than one-fourth of the world’s tobacco supply.
| U.S.A. | 1,553,000,000 LB. |
| CHINA | 1,400,000,000 LB. |
| INDIA | 1,200,000,000 LB. |
In addition to his labor in the cotton and tobacco fields, the Negro has also helped to make profitable the production of rice and sugar.
Railroads
The railroad played a great part in the settling of the West. With the completion of the Erie Canal, the Irish transferred their energy and labor to building tracks for the transcontinental railroad. The Chinese also labored on the western end. Today, Irish, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican laborers help to maintain the railroads. In 1937, almost one-half the world’s miles of railways were in our country.
| U.S.A. | 238,539 MI. |
| RUSSIA | 52,425 MI. |
| INDIA | 43,128 MI. |
Automobiles
Natural resources and inventive genius have enabled us to produce each year three times as many automobiles as the rest of the world put together. The work of the Poles, Slavs, Mexicans, and other groups has been an important factor in this phenomenal growth.