Anne Hutchinson Analysis

“The Political Trial of Anne Hutchinson” is an article written by Anne Fairfax and Jack Schwartz for the New England Quarterly in 1978. It talks about the time period of which Anne Hutchinson, a religious housewife in 1637, had different beliefs than the Massachusetts colonies. She held meetings that would discuss that week’s sermon. After sometime, these meetings gained a lot of recognition which brought in a large following. She became a very popular religious leader in the 1630’s.

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

David D. Hall looks at the Examination Of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson at the Court at Newton (1637). (Hall p 55) In his writing he talks about the Anne Hutchinson and her summons before A council of leading Ministers and magistrates of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where Anne Hutchinson would defend her unorthodox and beliefs and teaching. Anne Hutchinson was a seventeenth century women who used her voice freely and forcefully, as a result political maneuvering by the council destroyed her. Which this would lead the Antinomian Controversy. This controversy made Hutchinson famous in the unfolding in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638, which the council was deeply satisfied with the teachings of several church leaders; begin to publicly express their discontent. “Hutchinson and others argued that preachers were promoting a covenant of works rather than a covenant of grace, wrongly communicating the idea that an indivual could be saved by obedience and duty rather than solely by redeeming grace of the holy sprit”. (Smith p 437) Hutchinson and followers wanted an endorsement that was clear of the

While she did believe in God like the Puritans, she did not believe in “Covenant of Works”, or believe that salvation could be earned by or through good deeds. Instead Hutchinson believed in the “Covenant of Grace”, and according to this view God’s grace was the only way to overcome sin. With the strict laws implemented by the Puritans, Hutchinson violated many of them including laws of the family, church and colony. Aside from believing in a different covenant, women were not supposed to have any type of leadership position and she led discussions from her home. Her discussions that she led at home often criticized ministers that preached the “Covenant of Works”, which was threatening to the Puritans.

Anne Hutchinson is partially similar to Puritans, although there are differences among their theology. As the Puritans desired a place of worship, where the Crown would not be interfering with their ideologies, Anne Hutchinson desired a place of worship. Furthermore, as the government attempted to convert the ideologies of the Puritans, the Puritans strived to control, convert, the ideologies of Hutchinson. However, in spite of their similarities, the Puritans focused on their differences: they did not uphold the similar theological principles. Moreover, they deemed her as a heretic.

Anne Hutchinson: Puritan Prophet is a novel that tells the story of a puritan who fought for religion. She fought for the belief of predestination and of free grace. Hall uses her life to tell the story of religion and how her inspiration got religion to where it is in modern day. He shows us how Hutchinson’s courage to speak her thoughts helped make free religion which was a new concept for the world. Anne Hutchinson fought hard for what she believed in. She faced the humiliation of being banished just so the world can have free grace.

believe, therefore not concerned of any women's right to think or express otherwise. In this time women were consider property of men, and only their decisions as well as demands were to be met. Ann Hutchinson was the first moment to challenge the church as well as there believes. She meets with several women to enlighten there thoughts on religion that was forced on them. This was upsetting to puritans so they considered it heretical.

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

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.

     In Puritan led Massachusetts Bay Colony during the days of Anne Hutchinson was an intriguing place to have lived. It was designed ideally as a holy mission in the New World called the “city upon a hill,” a mission to provide a prime example of how protestant lives should have subsisted of. A key ingredient to the success of the Puritan community was the cohesion of the community as a whole, which was created by a high level of conformity in the colony. Puritan leaders provided leadership for all facets of life; socially, economically, religiously, and even politically. A certain hierarchy was very apparent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in which ministers always seemed to

Anne Hutchinson was a strong willed and intelligent woman that lived in 1637 in the Massachusetts Bay colony. She opposed both John Winthrop, governor of the colony, as well as the Puritan church leaders who had a different set of beliefs from her, and made up the court of elected officials that assisted the governor. She was banished from the colony in 1638 on charges of blasphemy, because she claimed to have direct and divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit, in a Puritan community it was thought that only preachers and other church leaders could see God, this idea was known as the covenant of works. Anne Hutchinson was a believer in the covenant of grace where God could show himself to anyone at

The book Anne Hutchinson: Puritan Prophet, by Timothy D. Hall, tells the story of a strong-willed woman whose faith and intellect brought her about to play a major role in early New England Puritan life. Hall tries to answer many questions surrounding Hutchinson throughout the book to try and bring clarity to a powerful historic event.

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

In the Early Colonial period, women had an unspecified class status. This meant that women had little to no restriction put against them. Women’s status of this period was determined by their wealth and religion. For example, Anne Hutchinson, was a headstrong woman who stood up for herself and her religion and participated in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, preaching about religion. She had the right to go and talk about something she was passionate about, rather than having her ideas shutdown.

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