17^th Century Salem Massachusetts

The Interweaving of the Economy and the Witch Trials of 1692

Home

Introduction

A Profitable Business Venture

Salem Town And Salem Village

The Puritans

The Economic Division of Salem Village

Hell Breaks Loose

The Accused

Conclusion

Links

Works Cited

A Profitable Business Venture

                In the year 1626, Roger Conant, a British businessman, sees the site of Salem as a great business venture, with a “fine natural harbor” and a “network of rivers providing access to the interior”.[1]  Conant also envisions the waters of the Massachusetts Bay as a profitable fishing station and trading post in the future.  The town of Salem is founded with definite economic interests in mind.  However, the wild, undeveloped land has very little value in itself, only about 3 shillings per acre, where a cow is £5.[2]  “In a new country, the value [of the land] is imparted by the labor that clears it and prepares it to yield its products”.[3]  The process of preparing the land is a daunting one, with the steps as follows:

• The settler must fell the trees one by one with an axe, trying to knock the larger trees into others as it falls.

• After the summer passes, the wood from the felled trees becomes dry enough so that it may be set to fire. 

• The stumps and charred tree trunks are then gathered together and burned again.

• Grains such as barley or corn may be planted in between the charred stumps for a few years.

• When the roots are decayed enough, oxen extract them with chains.

• Finally, the rocks and stones are removed from the ground, in order for the land to be ploughed.[4]

            Although an arduous task, the value of developed land adds two-thirds to that of undeveloped land by 1685.  The relative value of improved land constantly increases with the length of time it is under culture.[5]  Not only do the settlers of the land benefit from developing land, but the local governments also benefit through taxes.  In 1672, the taxes generated from undeveloped land is one half a penny per acre, while developed land pulls in a penny per acre.  In 1685, undeveloped land is taxed at 3 shillings per a hundred acres of land, while the tax on developed land stays the same at one penny per acre.  In order to encourage the development of land and settlement of families in the founding years of Salem Town, the government issues £50 and 200 acres of land to common stock holders, and 50 additional acres for each member of the family who decides to settle in Salem.[6]  The more family members a family contains, the more land they are given by the government.  With these additional family members, the settles are also able to develop more land, and eventually increase their wealth.  The early economic system of Salem Massachusetts is primarily land based.

Author:  Steven Parker, University of Mary Washington

E-mail:   spark5rb@gmail.com       |        Last Updated: November 22, 2004