Book Rev of Salem possessed

Instead, many Porter in-laws and friends would be arrested or hanged. They especially distrusted the residents of Salem Town, which was now becoming a prosperous urban center. These people were considered outsiders and were some of the main targets in 1692. In some cases, this hostility and jealousy took generations to build up. In a style reminiscent of Peter Laslett, Boyer and Nissenbaum show how property conflicts and the distribution of 'witches' coincide. Boyer and Nissenbaum have written a thought provoking book that relates, fact by fact, the history of Salem Village and its troubling inner conflicts. One particular family, the Putnams, feels that another, the Porters, is gradually crowding it out. Bibliography A book review on Salem Possessed- earned 25/25 pts. Another main point made clear by these two men was the decrease in the size of landholdings. ould help explain the notorious witch trials of 1692. The main point that Boyer and Nissenbaum discussed is the transition to a mercantile society that New England was making. Instead, the authors of Salem Possessed give an accurate account of a long, horrible process by which individuals were singled out, tried, and executed in order to vent emotions of hostility towards change. Many people within the Village still attended church in the town and did not associate with the Villagers, however. Many Villagers, because of past failures and Puritan teachings, distrusted those who were 'climbing up the social ladder' by using the mercantile system. In using first hand sources that no other historians have used to any great extent, these authors offer the definitive picture of life in Salem during the later part of the seventeenth century.