The people of Salem who believed in witches were no different from their counterparts in England and the rest of Europe. Belief in the existence of witches had been prevalent throughout the earlier centuries and continued into the 17th century. Salem was simply a microcosm of the larger macrocosm.There are several points that should be analyzed before we look at the issue of witchcraft in The Crucible. Answer the following questions in your notebook. These websites should prove a help.