Super Short Summary

Salem Possessed by Paul S. Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum is an academic work focusing on the social origins of the Salem witch trials in Salem Village from the 1640s to the early eighteenth century, emphasizing the period from autumn 1691 through summer 1692. The authors argue that Salem Village's unique religious, economic, and demographic characteristics fostered a community split between traditional agriculturalists and emerging commercial interests, leading to the witch hysteria that resulted in the execution of twenty people.