Introduction
HQ: To what extent did the economics in Salem play a role in causing the witch trials?
Salem was divided into two parts, Salem Town and Salem Village. Despite having to trade with each other to survive, there was still very big problems between the two. They hated each other which eventually played into causing the witch trials. But it wasn't just the hate that caused so much trouble; religion, taxes, and the ways the individual communities ran just added on to the problems that already existed. Tensions built up between the village's more conservative way of life as compared to the town's more capitalistic living. As these tensions grew, the economics of Salem were thrown into conflict and eventually led to the accusations of witchcraft.
In addition, Salem Village was considered the farmer side of Salem itself. Between the years of 1690 to 1692 the economy was declining, compared to Salem Town whose economy was growing rapidly. This made Salem Village become envious of Salem Town. The Village was known for being a farming based society. They survived off of the land and not trading to get their goods. Salem Town, on the other hand, was a prosperous port town at the center of trade with London.
Moreover, the Salem Trials were caused by the economic differences between the Town and Village. Thus, the Village was falling behind economically, whereas, the Town was steadily growing. Tension between the two resulted in actions taken by the Village which ended in the Salem Witch Trials. People prospered, and supported by the economic changes taking place. However, the people believed the worldliness and affluence of Salem town was threatened by their Puritan values. Therefore, the economic changes were a strong and influential force “Behind the witchcraft accusations”(Life in Salem 1692).
However, another thing that caused the Salem Witch Trials was religion. The main religion for Salem was of the Puritan faith. The main man responsible for the church in Salem was Reverend Samuel Parris. He was the one Reverend for both the Salem Village and Salem Town. Religion was already profiting from before the with trials by people paying them for ministerial services. They were more than likely going to have " monopoly-like rights to interpretation of the spectral evidence" (Mixon, Jr., 181), and they did.
Also, when economics comes to mind one of the first things people think of is taxes. When it comes to the Salem Witch trials, people don’t see the role taxes played in the events of the trials. Taxes were one of the main reasons factions were formed in Salem, these factions were known as the anti-Parris and pro-Parris factions. The pro-Parris faction showed support for Parris before and during the trials, whereas the anti-Parris faction was associated with earlier opposition to Parris and the witch prosecutions (Latner, 426). There was obvious tension between these two groups, and this tension would build up into and during the trials.
Cited Works
(1) Latner, R., Salem Witchcraft, Factionalism, and Social Change Reconsidered: Were Salem’s Witch-Hunters Modernization’s Failures?, 426
(2) Mixon, Franklin G.,Jr. "Homo Economicus and the Salem Witch Trials." Journal of Economic Education 31.2 (2000): 179. Print.
In addition, Salem Village was considered the farmer side of Salem itself. Between the years of 1690 to 1692 the economy was declining, compared to Salem Town whose economy was growing rapidly. This made Salem Village become envious of Salem Town. The Village was known for being a farming based society. They survived off of the land and not trading to get their goods. Salem Town, on the other hand, was a prosperous port town at the center of trade with London.
Moreover, the Salem Trials were caused by the economic differences between the Town and Village. Thus, the Village was falling behind economically, whereas, the Town was steadily growing. Tension between the two resulted in actions taken by the Village which ended in the Salem Witch Trials. People prospered, and supported by the economic changes taking place. However, the people believed the worldliness and affluence of Salem town was threatened by their Puritan values. Therefore, the economic changes were a strong and influential force “Behind the witchcraft accusations”(Life in Salem 1692).
However, another thing that caused the Salem Witch Trials was religion. The main religion for Salem was of the Puritan faith. The main man responsible for the church in Salem was Reverend Samuel Parris. He was the one Reverend for both the Salem Village and Salem Town. Religion was already profiting from before the with trials by people paying them for ministerial services. They were more than likely going to have " monopoly-like rights to interpretation of the spectral evidence" (Mixon, Jr., 181), and they did.
Also, when economics comes to mind one of the first things people think of is taxes. When it comes to the Salem Witch trials, people don’t see the role taxes played in the events of the trials. Taxes were one of the main reasons factions were formed in Salem, these factions were known as the anti-Parris and pro-Parris factions. The pro-Parris faction showed support for Parris before and during the trials, whereas the anti-Parris faction was associated with earlier opposition to Parris and the witch prosecutions (Latner, 426). There was obvious tension between these two groups, and this tension would build up into and during the trials.
Cited Works
(1) Latner, R., Salem Witchcraft, Factionalism, and Social Change Reconsidered: Were Salem’s Witch-Hunters Modernization’s Failures?, 426
(2) Mixon, Franklin G.,Jr. "Homo Economicus and the Salem Witch Trials." Journal of Economic Education 31.2 (2000): 179. Print.