Final answer:
Following the Salem witch trials, Reverend Samuel Parris was ousted from his position, and the community of Salem gradually moved towards normalcy, influenced by critics like Increase and Cotton Mather and the realization of the dangers of unfounded mass hysteria.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the fever of the witchcraft scare died and Parris was voted out of office, the aftermath of the Salem witch trials saw a slow return to normalcy. The hysteria that had gripped Salem began to fade following the intervention of the educated elite, who pressured the Governor to disregard spectral evidence.
This shift in perspective was fueled by figures such as Cotton and Increase Mather, whose writings helped change the prevailing attitudes toward the witch trials.
The eventual dissipation of mass hysteria marked the end of the Puritan 'Holy Commonwealth' and mirrored the decline of the idealistic 'city on a hill' vision that had been a central tenet of their society.