Final answer:
Eighty-five percent of the condemned witches during the Salem witch trials were women, reflecting societal gender biases against women being more susceptible to the Devil. Non-conformity was penalized, and the mass hysteria led to over one hundred people accused and nineteen executed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the Salem witch trials, a period of mass hysteria and witchcraft accusations in the late 17th century Puritan New England. Eighty-five percent of the condemned witches were women, reflecting the gender biases of the time where women were seen as more susceptible to the Devil due to their supposedly weaker constitutions. During the Salem witch trials, anyone who appeared non-conformist or differed from the societal norms, such as not attending church, could be viewed with suspicion and accused of witchcraft.
Many of these accused individuals were women who were seen as outsiders or non-conformist, a status that went against the values of Puritan society. The Puritans believed that witches allied with the Devil to carry out evil deeds. Martha Corey, a notable victim of the witchcraft hysteria, was a respected member of the church, but her critical stance against the legitimacy of the accusations eventually led to her own accusation and execution.
In Salem, special courts were established to hear the cases, with supposed victims serving as witnesses. The trials involved spectral evidence and accused individuals were often pressed to name accomplices, leading to a chain reaction of accusations. Mass hysteria, combined with religious and societal factors, led to over one hundred people being accused with nineteen executed by hanging and one, Giles Corey, pressed to death.