The Threat of Anne Hutchinson

Richard

September 19, 2005

The Threat of Anne Hutchinson

Questions:

What had Anne Hutchinson done?

Why was Anne Hutchinson such a threat to the Massachusetts Bay colony?

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

the community?

Anne Hutchinson, for centuries now, has been seen as a woman who

paved the way for religious freedom. She was a great leader in the cause for

religious toleration in America and the advancement of women in society. Anne

Hutchinson was "a magnetic woman of extraordinary talent and intellect" as well

as a woman "who quickly gained respect among Boston's women as a midwife,

healer, and spiritual counselor" (AP, p. 92).

Although Hutchinson is documented to have been banished as a religious

dissenter, the real motive for her persecution was that she challenged the

submissive role of women in Puritan society by standing up and expressing her

own religious convictions.

Anne Hutchinson seemed destined for banishment from the Puritan

Church and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She had a strong demeanor, no doubt

from the 14 children she bore to her husband William, and possessed an avid

interest in religion and theology. Add to this the influence of John Cotton, and the

fact that her father and brother-in-law had been banished from their respective

colonies, and you certainly see the role fate played in her life.

When the Hutchinson's arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634,

they were received with open arms. With the prosperity of William, and Anne's

background of medicine and nursing, it is no surprise they were welcome

additions to the community. This, however, was short lived. Anne had high

expectations, originally, for finally having the freedom to express her beliefs away

from the Church of England. However, once the Hutchinson's settled, she found

no religious freedom at all in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The roles of men and

women married under the Puritan religion were clearly defined. Although looked

at as equals in the eyes of God, the wives were "expected to help with and

supplement their husband's public activities" (D, p. 33). This is where I feel

Anne Hutchinson found herself out of favor with Colonial Governor John

Winthrop. Winthrop, who would oversee the trial of Hutchinson, seemed to be an

extremist of sorts when it came to the role of women under the Puritan religion.

He believed "women should be submissive and supportive" and that "there was

ample support for his position in the Bible" (D, p. 33). The fact that Hutchinson

began to reveal her own religious beliefs at her weeknight meetings held in her

home was out-of-line with practices of others due to the accusations that men

were present at the meetings. This was forbidden under Puritan law. Women

were allowed to teach other women, almost always younger girls, but were strictly

forbidden against revealing the beliefs or sermons to men. Remember, alone,

Anne was not a threat to the Puritan establishment in Massachusetts Bay.

However, as a woman leading a growing number of men, as well as women, she

was a threat to their authority and had to be stopped. I feel that John Winthrop

wanted Anne banished even before she was found guilty of anything.

One of the crucial beliefs of the Puritan religion was the belief in a

"covenant of grace" as opposed to a "covenant of work." A covenant of grace is

the belief that "salvation came only as a free gift from God" and those who

received this "would naturally live according to God's law" (D, p. 30). A

covenant of work was the belief that one had to "earn salvation through individual

effort" (D, p. 33). In addition to this, it must also be said that the Puritan's

believed they had a covenant with God to establish a holy colony. This was to be

used as an example for others. Winthrop often referred to their community as "a

city upon the hill" (D, p. 30). Basically, he was referring to it as a place where

Puritanism was practiced with the utmost devotion. This, as you can see, was not

a colony with a high tolerance level for dissension and questions of faith. These

presented themselves as some of the charges against Hutchinson. She was

accused of "having gone to a meeting of ministers and accusing them of preaching

a covenant of work rather than a covenant of grace" (D, p. 40). Most of the

ministers present corroborated on having heard her make this allegation, however,