Injutice Injustice

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 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.

America: “the land of the free,” - or at least that’s how the saying goes. As historians unearth more artifacts and primary sources, it is suggested that this was not always the case in early colonial America. Religious freedom appeared free, but only if you believed as the governing officials believed; while social equality was only extended to beings who fit a certain criterion. This is certainly not the freedom we associate America with today, and we can thank a menagerie of people for their taboo practices that brought us our liberties today. Among said menagerie is Anne Hutchinson: a woman whose fascinating thoughts led to bedlam and a trial in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony.

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

concept of freedom which consisted of natural liberty (doing whatever you want) and moral liberty (doing what is good). In the Massachusetts Bay colony, the Puritans wanted to have the right to worship and govern themselves but had to exercise good moral conduct by obeying religious and government authority. Winthrop explains the idea of freedom with an example of the status of women in society. He states that a woman has the liberty to choose her husband and thus is subject to his authority. So, a woman gets the liberty to choose who rules over her but then must obey everything her husband says. This shows that in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, individuals needed to conform to the colony and practice what the authority wanted them to practice; they had low individuality and women had low status and rights under her husband. The trial of Anne Hutchinson also supports this idea as she was prosecuted for having views that differed and “endangered” society by holding meetings to discuss religious issues. Hutchinson was brought before the court led by John Winthrop because she “seduced honest people” in her meetings (Foner 36) thereby dishonoring the commonwealth and disrupting society. Winthrop stated that Hutchinson holding meetings and talking about churches is not fitting of her sex, showing that women were not supposed to discuss

       Sarah Vowell begins her criticism writing about the background of the case, why it was opened and the prejudices against Anne Hutchinson. There was not any pressing reason for the case to open, John Winthrop just wanted to make an example out of Hutchinson, he never intended on treating her case fairly. This why he has trouble answering Hutchinson’s

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

In 1637, gender roles in the Puritan colony were very limited for women. In the case of Anne Hutchinson, all odds seemed to be against her when she was put on trial. Trying to argue she had done nothing wrong, Hutchinson was found guilty. Despite the ministers claiming her religious beliefs were the main reason for her punishment, there seemed to be an underlying message directed towards Hutchinson. Living in a time and place where women were not in a position of power, had no political leadership, and no religious authority, Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Puritan colony due to challenging and threatening widely accepted gender norms.

After she had been charged, Anne Hutchinson was forced to go on trial in November 1637. Winthrop personally interrogated her and claimed that she was defaming the ministers. Anne was accused of questioning Bible teachings. Hutchinson fought Winthrop to prove his claim. She would answer his questions with challenging questions of her own. In result to her defiance, Winthrop condemned her teaching men in public as “not fitting for her gender.” Anne attempted to defend herself with biblical terms and by quoting Titus. She wanted to make it clear that it was up to the older women to the younger ones. Unfortunately, her fate was decided. Because Hutchinson claimed her revelations came directly from God, it showed that there was a clear case of heresy. The magistrates immediately revealed that she was to be banished from the community.

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

Following a four-month detention, Hutchinson, weary and in poor health, was called to trial on Thursday, 15 March 1638. The trial took place at her home church in Boston, though many of her supporters were gone, her only family members present were her oldest son Edward and his wife, her daughter Faith and son-in-law Thomas Savage, and her sister Katharine with her husband Richard Scott. The ministers objective was to examine Anne's errors. Thomas Leverett, called Hutchinson up, and read the numerous errors with which she had been charged with. The ministers overwhelmingly concluded that Hutchinson's unsound beliefs outweighed all the good she had done, and that she endangered the spiritual welfare of the community. Her downfall came when she

     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

One must remember, thought, that in Puritan Massachusetts, the Church and the State were one. This is precisely why Ann Hutchinson is being tried in a state court for crossing Puritan doctrine. Governor John Winthrop is saying that, according to Puritan doctrine, to become acquainted with someone of a religion other than Puritanism, it puts to shame the parents of this sinner and the dishonors the whole Puritan colony. This is quite indicative of exclusion because the Puritans stopped everyone of their faith from friendly interaction with someone of a different faith. The unjust and severe punishment was that they were to be banished from the colony, their family, their friends, and their church. This is what happened to Ann Hutchinson. She was excluded from her whole life all because she quietly questioned some of the Church's decisions and didn't take kindly the spoon-fed Puritan principles.

The two women were similarly opposed to a society that felt women should remain at home. During this period of time, the role of women was thought to be in the home. Anne Hutchinson went against this belief when she started sharing her controversial religious beliefs with neighborhood women in need of her medical expertise. This quickly changed into biweekly devotional meetings. A woman holding controversial religious meetings in her home quickly drew the attention of sever powerful people. In the essay Anne Hutchinson it is stated that, ?Wilson and Winthrop persuaded Cotton to eavesdrop on Hutchinson?s meetings to see if there were any unacceptable messages';(4). Wilson, the most respected pastor in Boston, and Winthrop, the Governor of Massachusetts, decided Anne Hutchinson?s teachings must stop when her brother-in-law was accused of sedition. ?According to John Winthrop, Anne Hutchinson ?infected'; other members of her family with her beliefs'; (?Anne Hutchinson'; 5). In the same way, Hester Prynne went against the belief of society by