Salem Village Discord Although Salem Village did not have the
greatest number of accused witches — that sad distinction, we
have seen, goes to Andover — it was a pivotal center of events
in 1692. The outbreak began in the village; the primary
afflicted girls and their supportive families were residents of
the village; and the village's minister, Samuel Parris, was a
zealous and relentless advocate of the proceedings. Hence the
perennial question: Why Salem Village? Salem Village had a long
history of factionalism and contention. There were disputes with
Salem Town, contention with its first three ministers as well as
with its first ordained minister, Samuel Parris, and
controversies involving its elected Committee of Five. The 1692
witch-hunt took place within the context of village
divisiveness. But did these divisions actually provoke and shape
the outbreak, and if so, in what way? To investigate these
questions, it is necessary to examine Salem Village's factional
divisions, adapting an approach first syst