Chadwick Hansen's "Witchcraft at Salem" provides an interesting
             account of the infamous Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem
             Massachusetts in 1692. Hansen provides and account of the accused persons
             who were tried and eventually hanged for witchcraft. Through the
             utilization of contemporary accounts and the trial documents, Hansen
             relates the usual details of the rise and fall of the terrible dealings
             that took place that year in Salem Village. There has been a great deal of
             work produced about this popular subject, with the majority of it focusing
             on the theories of the origins and causes of the witch craze society.
             Chapter one provides an introduction into the early years of
             witchcraft in Salem and provides the reader with a brief historical profile
             of witchcraft. Hensen begins by attempting to provide the reader with a
             useful definition of witchcraft and how it applies to Western society and
             the establishment of New England. Historical milestones in the evolution
             of witchcraft and the contributions of "learned men" such as Locke and
             Hobbes to that development are discussed. For example, Hensen describes
             how Locke recognized witchcraft in his writings and thereby recognizing an
             In Chapter 2 the reader is given a history of four significant
             witchcraft examples that occurred in 1692 in New England prior to the
             trials in Salem. The circumstances surrounding the cases of Anne Hibbins
             from Boston, Rebecca Greensmith and her husband Nathan from Hartford and
             Anne Cole's role in Greensmith's trial, Elizabeth Knapp from Groton,
             Massachusetts, and John Goodwin's four children from Boston are profiled.
             In each case, Hensen provides details of the "hysteria" symptoms displayed
             by the individuals and the outcome of their case. These examples are
             significant because they provide evidence to the strength of the accusation
             of witchcraft without any proof for a trial.
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