Comparing The Economic And Social Power Of The Salem Village

Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum wrote Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft to present a new interpretation of the Salem witchcraft trials. They used accurate information to expose the mystery behind the outbreak of witchcraft in Salem Village. Most writings based of the Salem witchcrafts have been distorted and altered to create more interest for the reader, rather than tell the facts. The fact is that economic and social power caused arguments between the Salem Villagers, and the disputes between the Salem Village people caused the Salem witchcraft trials. The controversy between the Salem Village and the Salem Town played a big role in the witchcraft trials. The Village wanted independence from the town for many reasons. They were tired of traveling the distance between the village and the town to attend

Why should they have to pay for things they were not close enough to use? The people within the Village that lived closer to the town thought they should remain a part of the town and continue to pay taxes and attend the Town church. Naturally most of those people were opposed to Parris. Salem Villagers that supported Parris tended to be farmers and live in rural parts of the village. The disputes between the people in the Town and Village eventually caused a big controversy between the Village people themselves. Salem Village was a part of Salem town but wanted independence because they had no political or religious power. Half of Salem village wanted to remain with the Town, while the other half struggled and fought for independence. Wealth was also a main cause for arguments between the people in the Village. While it can be broken down as simple as the rich versus the poor, it was much more complicated than that. Instead it was the Porters versus the Putnams, two of the richest families in Salem Village. The Porters were opposed to Parris