Question Was Socioeconomic Tensions Responsible for the Witchcraft Hysteria in Salem? Repeat Although an interest in witchcraft and sorts is present today, most of it is glamorized versions we see in television. The most notorious events involving witchcraft, however, were in the kitchen of the Reverend Samuel Parris in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. A group of young girls try to read into the future but instead are accused for witchcraft. Through the months, many are arrested, convicted, and hung. "The Salem witch trials represent one of the most thoroughly studied episodes in American history. Throughout history, witchcraft accusations have tended to follow certain patterns, most of which were duplicated in Salem...occured during periods of political turmoil, economic dislocation, or social stress  (Text pg. 329). Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum's "Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft," explores the pre-existing social and economic divisions within the Salem Village community, as an entry point to understand the accusations of witchcraft in 1692. Boyer and Nissenbaum argue that the "Salem witchcraft hysteria was prompted by economic and social tensions that occurred against the backdrop of an emergent commercial capitalism, conflicts between ministers and their congregations, and the loss of family lands, which divided the residents in Salem Town and Salem Village  (Text pg 328). One of the first things the authors write about is that there were patterns in the accusations which included pace, status, and geography. Boyer and Nissenbaum explain that when the news first broke out, only three were accused and they were outside the Salem village. However, the "symptoms of the afflicted girls did not subside, and toward the end of March the girls accused three more person of tormenting them (Text pg 331). They later go on to explain that "At this time, however, the pace of accusations picked up sharply, and the whol