Example research essay topic: Book Rev Of Salem Possessed - 635 words

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Boyer, Paul, and Stephen Nissenbaum. Salem Possessed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1974. When one hears the word Salem, many unpleasant images are conjured in that persons mind. One may think of the misplaced fervor of the Puritans, one may call to mind the lack of justice in the trials, or one may even be appalled by the tragic deaths of nineteen individuals and the imprisonment of hundreds of others. However, instead of focusing on just the unpleasant images of the witch trials, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum focus on the events leading up to them.

The formation of the township in 1672, the decrease in the average landholdings, and the transition to a mercantile society are discussed at length, as are many other issues. Using church archives that include tax assessments, community votes, and lists of local officials, Boyer and Nissenbaum have been able to compile a civil and religious record of this infamous community that could help explain the notorious witch trials of 1692. 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. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, troubles between opposing factions were problematic from Salem Villages founding in 1672. Originally an extension of the urban Salem Town, Salem Village came into being when the farmers of this rural area, fed up with the distance to the city center, formed their own parish. Many people within the Village still attended church in the town and did not associate with the Villagers, however.

These people were considered outsiders and were some of the main targets in 1692. Another main point made clear by these two men was the decrease in the size of landholdings. In a style reminiscent of Peter Laslett, Boyer and Nissenbaum show how property conflicts and the distribution of witches coincide. One particular family, the Putnam's, feels that another, the Porters, is gradually crowding it out.

The Porters, because of their wealth, power, and long time residence in the Village, are not targeted directly by the Putnam's in 1692. Instead, many Porter in-laws and friends would be arrested or hanged. The main point that Boyer and Nissenbaum discussed is the transition to a mercantile society that New England was making. Many Villagers, because of past failures and Puritan teachings, distrusted those who were climbing up the social ladder by using the mercantile system. They especially distrusted the residents of Salem Town, which was now becoming a prosperous urban center. To the Puritans, these people were considered devils and witches long before 1692.

When the witch trials began, Boyer and Nissenbaum hypothesize that the Villagers projected their feelings against change onto the outsiders in the Village who seemed to be crowding them out or climbing up the social ladder while the accusers were falling down it. Is it no coincidence, then, that many of the accused were moderately prosperous to very prosperous outsiders who lived near the Town border? However, this does not hold true to all of the cases. A few poorer Villagers who made the accusers feel threatened were also arrested. (Namely, Tituba and Sarah Good) The Salem Witch Trials were not a sudden, tyrannical happening in a small, quiet town as most people think. 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. In some cases, this hostility and jealousy took generations to build up.

Boyer and Nissenbaum have written a thought provoking book that relates, fact by fact, the history of Salem Village and its troubling inner conflicts. Bibliography: A book review on Salem Possessed- earned 25 / 25 pts.

Research essay sample on Book Rev Of Salem Possessed