Question

Why might some people on both sides of the Atlantic have worried in 1650 that order was breaking down

Answer 1

Many on both sides of the Atlantic may have worried that order was breaking down by the 1650’s due to the burgeoning Atlantic Slave Trade. At its beginning in the 1500’s African imports were often merely indentured servants- this changed drastically by the mid-1600’s. By that time Africans (and their offspring) were seen as mere property to their owners and were often harshly worked in deadly climates with no regard for the slaves’ safety.

Also, significant political unrest in Europe (particularly England, Scotland, and Ireland) waged after the execution of Charles I. This had an effect on the American colonies as well as they were under British rule with an increasing number of African slaves being imported.