COFFEE Eighteenth century England was a turning point that helped create some of the way we view the world today including our basic beliefs on society, politics, law, and economics. In the primary source document, (King bans coffee houses) an editorial snapshot provides an account of the period and events taking place. During the Enlightenment, it was more and more common for the now growing middle and lower classes to begin to question the existing social order, and power structures. With the expanding trade-networks came more wars and power struggles to control them. With these trade routs in full swing, products never seen in many areas were now readily available to a larger more diverse group than ever before. One product that would prove to provide much controversy was coffee. Coffee was a new trend in Europe and increasing in popularity, thus creating a market for places in which to sell and consume this social and conversation provoking drink began to appear known as coffee houses.
Coffee houses were the newest forum where people could meet and discuss their beliefs and ideas. They were trendy social gathering places for like-minded individuals of similar standing, causing them to be viewed as a threat to the crown. Once the coffee houses began to be viewed as a threat, there are those who attempted to stop them at all costs.
One such attempt at ending the coffee houses was lashing out at them with pens. One such article was in the form of a royal proclamation as presented by Charles R. in a decree given at royal court in Whitehall December 1675. The article condemns the effects that coffeehouses have had on the citizens of several towns and throughout the dominion of Whales. There are numerous claims as to the type of persons who in these establishments “miss-spend much of their time.” Tradesmen, the idle and disaffected persons being among them would be as the article claims otherwise employed in their lawful callings. Instead, the claim made is that those persons are involved in false, malicious, and scandalous conversations, both about and against the king’s government in turn disrupting the realm. The decided solution to this is to place a ban on a manner of items seen as contributing to this behavior, and enforce penalties against those who continue to purchase and/or sell to the public any of the following items coffee, chocolate, sherbet, or tea. Licenses issued prior to this are void and no further licenses be issued. Penalties included restitution, and for persons who continued to