Witches in the 17th century were women who signed their names in the book of the "black man" who lives in the forest. People believed in witchcraft mainly because they were surrounded by the forest and since the common man did not have much logic reasoning during that time, they came to consider women who went to the forest guilty of witchcraft. The Salem witch hunt began with three girls starting a rumor about their neighbor and the rumor quickly spread and came to be accepted. Women were accused of witchcraft even if their laundry was whiter then the other town folk! Well thats as far as I know. You can also find books about the salem witch hunts at your local library.
