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Planters Peanuts Advertisement, National Nut News, 1921

CONTENT WARNING

Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. 

Context

Virgnia has a long history of growing peanuts. In the 1700’s, people from West Africa were brought to be enslaved in the colonies. Peanuts were a common food item in their home countries and, to feed people familiar products from home. For those unfamiliar with peanuts at the time, they were a curiosity and used to feed animals. Peanut plants became common on farms as they were easily grown in the soil of tidewater Virginia. The humble peanut became popularized at the turn of the 19th Century when a former enslaved man named George Washington Carver, found approximately 300 uses for peanuts which led to a transformation in the peanut growing industry as peanuts developed into a cash crop.

The Planters Peanut Company opened its first mass-processing plant in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1913. Having gained popularity after the Civil War, peanuts became a major cash crop for the state. By the turn of the 20th century, economic emphasis had shifted from peanut growers to the manufacturers and distributors of products. This advertisement, from the back page of the serial National Nut News, illustrates the various types of Planters peanut products available through wholesale distributor W. H. Yates & Bro. The Planters Peanut Company is still in operation and it continues to operate a large-scale production facility in Suffolk.



Citation: Planters Peanuts advertisement. National Nut News, serial, rear cover. SB351.P3 P35 vol. 14, no. 1. Library of Virginia.

Standards

Social Studies: VUS.1, VUS.3, USII.6

Earth Science: ES.9, ES.11

Art: 4.1, 5.1

Suggested Questions

Preview Activity

Look at It: Look at the advertisement. What product is featured? Where was the location of the Planters Peanut Company located?

Post Activities

STEM STAT: Peanuts are still considered a cash crop in Virginia. Using you knowledge of the environment of the tidewater region answer the following questions: Why did the peanut plant do well in the tidewater region? What soil and water conditions may have contributed to the long-term success of the peanut industry?

Artistic Exploration: Create a new advertisement for Planters Peanuts that emphasizes its connections to Virginia.