Answer: The correct answer is C. Cotton Mather was an influential Puritan leader who was afraid that angry colonists might start to fight against the wealthy elites. Instead, he made people afraid of witches. Mather was a leading figure in the Salem witch trials, and his focus on the threat of witches may have helped to distract people from the social and economic tensions that were causing unrest in the colony. This would have helped to maintain the existing social order and prevent uprisings against the elites.
Explanation: Cotton Mather was an influential Puritan leader who was afraid that angry colonists might start to fight against the wealthy elites. Instead, he made people afraid of witches. Mather was a leading figure in the Salem witch trials, in which many people were accused of practicing witchcraft and were subsequently tried and executed. By focusing people's fears and anxieties on the threat of witches, Mather may have been able to distract them from the social and economic tensions that were causing unrest in the colony. This would have helped to maintain the existing social order and prevent uprisings against the elites.