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Amanda Anderson
Mrs. Professor
Freshman Studies
October 1, 2015
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was seen an opinionated and outspoken woman (People
and Ideas: Anne Hutchinson). Mrs. Hutchinson was the leader of a Puritan religious
group known as the Antinomians. Her fellow Antinomians, a group seen as rebels
or those against the law, were not favored by the Puritan leaders and ministers.
Questioning the religious teachings and practices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Puritan ministers and community leaders led to her banishment. As seen in her
teachings and actions, Anne Marbury Hutchinson had a powerful influence on
religious freedom and tolerance.
In 1591, Anne Hutchinson was born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England with the given
name Anne Marbury (Maier “Hutchinson, Anne Marbury”). Her father, an English
minister, greatly influenced her religious beliefs and convictions (PBS.org). A year
after the death of her father, Anne married her husband, William Hutchinson, in
1612. Shortly after they were married, William and Anne began traveling to hear
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the sermons of the Puritan preacher, John Cotton. During this time, many Puritans
were settling in Boston, Massachusetts due to exile. John Cotton also decided to
settle in Boston to begin ministering to those exiled. William and Anne Hutchinson
followed the minister, John Cotton, and settled in Massachusetts (“Anne Marbury
Hutchinson”) The move to Massachusetts set the stage for the beginning of Anne’s
religious influence on people.
Anne’s training as a midwife and nurse enabled her to hold meetings in the
family home to discuss the religious teachings of the Puritan minister, John Cotton.
Many members of the colony trusted Anne Hutchinson & agreed with what she
said in regards to Cotton’s sermons. Approximately, 60 people attended the
meetings held on a weekly basis at Anne’s home. Now, these meetings were not
favored by the Puritan leaders. During that time, a woman outspoken enough to
discuss her religious beliefs in public forums was seen as troublesome, something
out of the norm. (“People and Ideas: Anne Hutchinson”) The leaders also believed
what was discussed in the meetings challenged the leadership of the colony;
therefore, the meetings were seen as dangerous. One example of a challenging
belief discussed by the Antinomians included Mrs. Hutchinson’s view that one is
not favored by God by merely doing good deeds. Another Antinomian belief
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challenging the Puritan leaders and minister was the idea that God communicated
with all people, not just the leaders and minister, directly. (Maier, “Hutchinson,
Anne Marbury”). These meetings and shared beliefs led to the court trial and
verdict to banish Mrs. Hutchinson from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The belief of Hutchinson and the Antinomians, God communicating directly
with us, led to the revelation the Bible could be interpreted by anyone. This
angered and troubled the Puritan leaders, believing the Bible was the ultimate
authority and could only be interpreted by ministers, and divided the members of
the colony. The leaders saw this as a personal attack and charged Anne with
sedition in 1637. After the trial, the assembly voted on banishment. After
banishment, the Hutchinson family found refuge with the Roger Williams’ colony in
Providence, Rhode Island (“People and Ideas: Anne Marbury”). The Antinomians
bought the island from the native americans, and it was led by William
Coddlington. Coddlington was a dictator and forced his religious beliefs on the
members of the colony. Anne Hutchinson led a movement to force out
Coddlington and was successful. Her husband, William Hutchinson, was the new
leader. After her husband’s death, Anne feared being apprehended by the
authorities, and fled with her children to New York. There was great conflict in
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New York between the Native Americans and the Dutch which led to the massacre
by the Native Americans that killed Mrs. Hutchinson and all but one of her children
in 1643.
Due to her ability to lead people and spread her religious beliefs, Mrs. Anne
Marbury Hutchinson is seen by historians to be the leading support and a great
example of religious freedom in action (“Anne Marbury Hutchinson”). From the
religious discussions she led in her home to her movement to overturn a dictator
of a leader, Mrs. Hutchinson was truly an influential person and a woman to be
respected and feared. John Winthrop, the leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
used the following words to describe Anne Hutchinson: “a woman of haughty and
fierce carriage, of a nimble wit and active spirit, and a very voluble tongue, more
bold than a man” (“People and Ideas: Anne Hutchinson”). At the front of the State
House in Boston, a statue in her honor was erected in 1922. Part of the inscription
reads “courageous exponent of civil liberty and religious toleration” (“Anne
Marbury Hutchinson”). Our freedom to express religious beliefs may be partially
contributed to this great woman, Anne Marbury Hutchinson.
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Works Cited
"Anne Marbury Hutchinson." Office of the Secretary of State: Nellie M. Gorbea:.
N.p., 12 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
<http://sos.ri.gov/library/history/famous/hutchinson/>.
Maier, Pauline. "Hutchinson, Anne Marbury." World Book Advanced. World Book,
29 June 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar268180>.
"People & Ideas: Anne Hutchinson." God in America: People: Anne Hutchinson |
PBS. PBS, 27 July 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/anne-hutchinson.html>.