Final answer:
The Puritans believed that women were more susceptible to witchcraft due to their 'weaker constitutions.' The Salem witch trials are a notorious example of this belief, where many were accused and executed amidst a backdrop of societal change and mass hysteria.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Puritans believed women were more susceptible to witchcraft due to their supposedly weaker constitutions. The Puritan belief system included a strong belief in the supernatural; everything was seen as a sign of God's mercy or judgment. They held that witches made pacts with the Devil to harm others, a belief seen in the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692, where the majority of those accused and executed were women. The trials were fueled by mass hysteria, amidst a backdrop of Native wars, political, and cultural changes in New England. Prominent figures like Cotton Mather would not entertain the denial of witches, emphasizing the devil's influence in society.
During the Salem witch hysteria, accusations quickly spiraled, and people of non-conformist behaviors were targeted, indicating that societal tensions and fears of the unknown played into the accusations. By the conclusion of the hysteria, more than a hundred people were accused, and nineteen were executed. The ending of the witch trials coincided with broader societal shifts, such as the decline of the Puritan 'city on a hill' vision. The skepticism towards spectral evidence and the mass executions marked a dark period in Puritan New England's history, reflecting their complex relationship with religious orthodoxy and social conformity.