Anne Hutchinson: Puritan Prophet Is A Novel That Tells

Anne Hutchinson was a remarkable colonial woman who first came to Massachusetts in the fall of 1634. She is less remembered for her contributions in the new world as a wife, mother of fourteen, and midwife to many than for her eventual trial and banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I was interested in writing a paper on a colonial woman and chose Anne Hutchinson after a "Google" search turned up a very good review on a recent book about her life. I have been intrigued by the fact that the Puritans came to America to practice their religion freely, yet allowed no freedom to question their

In the trial of 1637, Anne was accused of posing a threat to the commonwealth. In this time in early American history being or doing anything different against the churches was not promoted especially if you were a woman Anne is a great example of the. During Anne's trial she was considered troublesome and outspoken, like it says in the document "if in be the mind of the court that Mrs. Hutchinson for those things that appear before us is the unfit for the society, and if it be the mind of the court Mrs. Hutchinson is unfit for our society. She shall be banished out of our liberties and imprisoned till she be sent away, let them hold up their hands [all but three did so]" Anne was banished from Massachusetts for practicing religion in a new way. The people saw Anne as trouble for doing something different and stepping outside the bounds of what was the norm and considered the acceptable behavior as a woman and as a believer. Religion back in early North America, was only to be practiced in the church through the ministers. It was much stricter than it is today, you were told what to believe and how to do it, with no exceptions. Fortunately, we have come a long way since the time of 1637. People have the freedom to practice religion where and how they want. As you can see from the document " the examination of Anne Hutchinson at the Court of Newton, and in the

In the trial against Anne Hutchinson, she was charged, in a vague manner, to be a danger to the colony because of the spreading of her Antinomian opinions at her meetings. Throughout the entire trial Anne was slowly being backed into a corner in which ideally she would have then broken down and admitted to doing all the wrongs in which Governor Winthrop believed she was guilty of, but she never really did. The evidence against her was so weak in nature, that it seemed that Winthrop, along with all the other elders and deputies, really needed a confession to completely justify her banishment. Though unsuccessful in their efforts, even when it was brought up by the Deputy Governor that Anne went to a meeting of ministers and told them all that they preached the "covenant of works" to their very faces, Anne stayed with the Fifth Amendment technique and denied nothing, while admitting nothing. Where I believe she might have messed up is when she attested to the probability of her saying this of the ministers in private. By saying that, she more than admitted to being of the same mindset of the ostracized Antinomians. This in turn gave the hungry judges/jury enough evidence for the banishment.

She was self taught and learned also by reading the books within her father’s library. Her family was middle class and members of the church. Her father was a reverend. She married William Hutchinson a magistrate in the colony. Hutchinson like many other women played a role in child bearing as a midwife. She held the same roles within the household as other women. It was her actions outside of the household that Hutchinson was held accountable for. Hutchinson began following the sermons of John Cotton, an outspoken advocate of self-determination of congregational government. Following this ideology Hutchinson started hosting meetings that presented theological interpretations of sermons and scriptures; ideas that contradicted with the Puritan religion. The church found her a threat to the commonwealth. The meetings were not only appealing to men but to women as well. Many listened to what she had to say and the church feared that people who begin to follow her as well. Hutchinson had stepped beyond a gender role that during the early 17th century was were considered inappropriate for women. As a woman she was allowed to express religious experiences but was not supposed to go around teaching their own interpretation of God’s word. When placed on trial Hutchinson spoke open mindedly, but within context of male hierarchy. She was challenging the ministers therefore, challenging government due to the large ties between the

Anne Hutchinson held meetings at her house on Sundays to recall what had been said during the church sermon as well as to add her own ideas and thoughts on the topics that were being discussed. At first this seemed very normal but when her teachings began influencing people to pull away from the other Puritans, Winthrop recognized this as a problem. Anne Hutchinson taught others of her numerous propositions, which opposed the purpose of this excursion to New England. Morgan states that, Mrs. Hutchinson’s beliefs, “…threatened the fundamental conviction on which the Puritans built their state, their churches, and their daily lives, namely that God’s will could be discovered only through the bible” (Morgan). Anne Hutchinson was in fact an Antinomian, she opposed the fixed meaning of God’s moral law that Winthrop had worked so hard to teach these people. As a result, Mrs. Hutchinson was causing a huge threat to the settlers. She was trying to manipulate others to share her religious beliefs. Winthrop would not tolerate such behavior, as she was behaving sinfully, she must be punished accordingly or else as Winthrop believed, they would all suffer from God’s wrath. Winthrop took Mrs. Hutchinson to a court hearing and after a long, battle it was decided by the court that Mrs. Hutchinson was to be banished from Massachusetts. Mrs. Hutchinson was set as an example for the others who may

She began hosting discussions about Cotton’s sermon, but the article, "Anne Marbury Hutchinson,” clearly explained, “Gradually, the meetings shifted to critiques of Puritan beliefs about the Covenant of Works – the role of good works and adherence to religious law in salvation.” (Michal) Anne Hutchinson inserted her personal beliefs in the gatherings. As the population of the attendees increased, the attention of the wrong individuals grew as well.Due to the wrong attention Hutchinson brought on herself “the growing tensions of the era became known as the Antinomian Controversy,” (“Anne Hutchinson”) The puritan church accused Anne Hutchinson and her followers of practicing something which is opposed to the law of grace; this practice is known as Antinomianism. Despite of the trouble, Anne Hutchinson continued attempting to justify her reasons for her words. Anne Hutchinson is a figure displaying Henry David Thoreau’s belief of one doing what is necessary to stay true to the morals and

religious topics. At the conclusion of the trial, Hutchinson was subjected to being banished from the colony. Though she did not agree with the judgement of

And because they exist within a self governing system, the accusation of guilt quickly rendered the judgement and decision of guilt before any trial took place or any evidence was shared. The Word of God does say in Hebrews 4:12, “"For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, andis a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." In the heart of Anne Hutchinson I believe we see a godly woman uncompromising to her call. Yet the reflection her boldness found in the system of these self governing men, was a blinding assult and the very heresy they

How was Anne Hutchinson's trial an ordeal for her and how was it an ordeal for

The moment that she revealed that she felt the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Winthrop thought it justifiable to charge her with blasphemy. Who is anyone to judge another person on what they claim to have experienced spiritually? There is no evidence to support their claims of blasphemy. Westerkamp mentions that Winthrop ignorantly blamed that “as a midwife Hutchinson had insinuated herself into the hearts of women, leading all those potential Eves to seduce their husbands into heresy.” Even during her trial, as the opposition would try to stump her with scripture, Anne would use scripture to make her case right back. She was a godly woman, worthy just like anyone else to witness the Holy Spirit. There is no way for anyone besides Anne to know if she was lying or practicing

     In the trial against Anne Hutchinson, she was charged, in a vague manner, to be a danger to the colony because of the spreading of her Antinomian opinions at her meetings. Throughout the entire trial Anne was slowly being backed into a corner in which ideally she would have then broken down and admitted to doing all the wrongs in which Governor Winthrop believed she was guilty of, but she never really did. The evidence against her was so weak in nature, that it seemed that Winthrop, along with all the other elders and deputies, really needed a confession to completely justify her banishment. Though unsuccessful in their efforts, even when it was brought up by the Deputy Governor that Anne went to a meeting of ministers and told them all that they preached the “covenant of works” to their very faces, Anne stayed with the Fifth Amendment technique and denied nothing,

Anne Hutchinson has long been seen as a strong religious dissenter who paved the way for religious freedom in the strictly Puritan environment of New England. Another interpretation of the controversy surrounding Anne Hutchinson asserts that she was simply a loving wife and mother whose charisma and personal ideas were misconstrued to be a radical religious movement. Since this alleged religious movement was led by a woman, it was quickly dealt with by the Puritan fathers as a real threat. Whatever her motives, she was clearly a great leader in the cause of religious toleration in America and the advancement of women in society. Although Anne Hutchinson is historically documented to have been banished as a religious dissenter, the real

To begin with, Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne both have issues concerning their faith. They both struggled with their communities regarding the the topic of faith. Anne practiced faith and shared it with others for it is said that, “It was among her female neighbors in need of her medical skills that she first communicated her controversial religious idea” (History.com Editors). Anne was an independent woman and taught the meaning of faith to others. Many people in the town followed her, but it caused problems for what she taught between the townspeople. In addition to this, there was tension and disagreement throughout the people, resulting in Anne being excommunicated from the church. She was excommunicated from the church because she was accused of blasphemy (History.com Editors). With Hester, she has faith but, “Outwardly, she is penitent, serves the members of the community, and suffers their abuse willingly—"a martyr indeed"—but she resists praying for them in case her words inadvertently turn into a curse” (Malibor). Hester is a person the people of the town can talk to about their problems. She helps the townspeople, but they don’t help her in return due to her punishment. She believes that praying for them would result with a curse among the townspeople. In a similar matter, regarding her faith and Pearl she says, “God gave her into my keeping, I will not give her up” (Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter 104). When the community tries to take away Pearl away from her

Hutchinson began following the sermons of John Cotton, an outspoken advocate of self-determination of congregational government. Following this ideology Hutchinson started hosting meetings that presented theological interpretations of sermons and scriptures; ideas that contradicted with the Puritan religion. The church found her a threat to the commonwealth because the attendance was equal to, if not more than the Sabbath congregations. Many listened to what she had to say and the church feared that people who begin to follow her as well. As a woman she was allowed to express religious experiences but was not supposed to go around teaching their own interpretation of God’s word. In the opening of her trial Winthrop expressed that she had participated in “a thing not tolerable nor comely in the sight of God not fitting for your sex” . Hutchinson had stepped beyond a gender role that during the early 17th century was were considered inappropriate for women.

Anne had an excellent education thanks to her father’s high position, she soon moved out of England to the new world in Massachusetts where she learned about puritanism. She did have a hard time adjusting though, “As a New England colonist, Bradstreet