Final answer:
The belief in witches during the 17th century in New England was influenced by the Puritan belief system, environmental hardships, societal changes, and mass hysteria, leading to numerous accusations and executions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief in witches and their harmful influence on the community was closely tied to the Puritan belief system and the broader context of the 17th-century social, cultural, and environmental strife. People in Puritan New England thought witches were in league with the Devil, taking the blame for misfortunes such as illness, death, and loss of cattle. This belief was reinforced by the witchcraft scare in Salem Village in 1692, where several villagers and a Congregational minister, influenced by traumatic events and notable figures like the Puritan Minister Cotton Mather, were executed after mass hysteria and accusations of witchcraft.
Contributing factors to the hysteria included recent wartime trauma, a lack of options in the face of natural disasters like famine and poor weather, and the scapegoating of those who were non-conformist or simply luckless enough to be accused. Such events occurred within a society that was on a cusp of change, seeking to control the uncertainty of their environment through the persecution of supposed witches, facilitating a communal sense of control and virtue.