Anne Hutchinson: A Strong Character in Living American History

Another one being. Anne Hutchinson. She was a Massachusetts Bay Colonist that advocated uncommon religious views, such as, “interacting with God’s words and waiting for the Holy Spirit to enter one’s body,” (Ripper, 2008, p.10). This was quite different than the traditional Puritan beliefs such as, continuously asking for God to forgive one’s bad actions and following a strict set of guidelines.

It was known in those times that most people who go against the traditional route were faced with hard consequences.

As soon as she started sermonizing her beliefs, “King Charles I and the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud—had found Anne Hutchinson and people like her too radical, too dangerous to the religious, social, and political order in England.” (Ripper, 2008, p.10) Soon after, Governor Winthrop, a Puritan, demanded Hutchinson be trialed, as he viewed her too dangerous for the society. One of the main reasons why many people spoke out against Hutchinson, was that it was unfit for a woman to be speaking out for their own beliefs.

Women in those times were expected to have certain roles, such as maintaining their home, sewing, knitting, and pertaining to this discussion, “discussing scripture at home with family or other women.” Women did not discuss scripture in public settings, it wasn’t a common cultural belief.

34, Anne Hutchinson was banished from the members of her church upon speaking of new ways of approaching the belief system. She was advocating for religious freedom, and people simply didn’t put up with it.

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One of the greatest influences Hutchinson had was the formation of Rhode Island. Shortly after being excommunicated from the church, she and her family moved to Providence Plantations near Narragansett Bay. There she gathered a group of like-minded towns, “these early towns—included a radical element in their first sets of laws: religious freedom.” (Ripper, 2008, p.16). These towns formed together, and later formed the current state of Rhode Island. The persecution of Roger Williams (as discussed earlier) and Anne Hutchinson influenced the right to, “freely worship by separating church from state so that one denomination or religion could not rule against others through the body of the government.” (Ripper, 2008, p.16) In other words, the right of religious freedom. Anne Hutchinson heavily influenced future societies, as there was now a new way to live and share a faith.

It is apparent in this case that Anne Hutchinson was an educated woman. This is shown through her hardworking, brave, and courageous ability to speak out against traditional beliefs. Not to mention, she influenced the development of the state of Rhode Island. Anne Hutchinson wasn’t like most women of her time who did the traditional tasks, she was out in a public setting risking her reputation to share her beliefs.

Where does her education come from? Hutchinson’s father, Francis Marbury was a clergyman and schoolmaster at a public grammar school. Marbury influenced her education and Hutchinson was known to have, “received a better education from her father than most girls of the time.” (UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 2009). This has been demonstrated by her courageous accomplishments that shaped the religious freedom we have today. Leaving with a question, how do you think education negatively affected Anne Hutchinson?