Anne Hutchinson

Anne Hutchinson was born as Anne Marbury and was baptized July 20, 1591. She was born in Alford, Lincolnshire and her father was a deacon at Christ Church in Cambridge. She was very well educated at home and developed a deep interest in theology due to the influence of her father. In 1612, she married William Hutchinson and they had 15 children. They attended sermons of John Cotton and became followers of the Puritans. Cotton joined the Puritan colonies in New England in 1634 and Anne and her family soon followed him later that year. They sailed on the Griffin, hoping for religious freedom and to live with others who followed the Puritan ways of life. Anne joined Cottons congregation in New England but tensions and differences began to emerge as Anne had very different ideas on how she wanted to worship God and believed in the freedom of thought. The beliefs of the Puritans were extremely strict and Anne struggled with these hugely.

The Puritans viewed women as inferior to men. They believed women were morally feeble who would lead men into damnation if they were allowed to form an opinion or express their own thoughts. Anne started a Women's club and she held meetings at her home where they discussed scripture, prayed and reviewed sermons but these meetings caused serious problems with the male Puritans. These women club meetings were seen as a threat to the authority and power of men and were against the fundamental ideals of the Puritan way of life. Anne was seen as a 'dissenter' by John Winthrop and he stated that these women meetings were "a thing not tolerable nor comely in the sight of God, nor fitting for your sex". Winthrop was determined to silence Anne so he went through the legal system to do so. Small women's prayer groups were allowed by law but larger groups listening to one individual leader were seen as disorderly.

November 1637, Anne was arrested and placed in custody at the house of the marshal of Roxbury in Massachusetts. At the time, Anne was 46 and pregnant. She was accused of violating the fifth commandment, "honour thy father and mother"and therefore was encouraging dissent against the fathers of the commonwealth. They also charged her with making the other women neglect the care of their own families. Anne was found guilty of heresy and was condemned to banishment by the civil court. With her followers, Anne left Boston in 1638 for the settlement that had been established by Roger Williams at Providence, Rhode Island. Anne and her followers established a home in Portsmouth and adopted a new government which provided for trial by jury and the separation of the church from the state. However, Anne and many of her family members were massacred by Native Americans in 1643.

I find Anne Hutchinson's strength and bravery extremely admirable. During this period in time, women were considered inferior and of no use except to have children and care for the family. Anne fought against this stereotype. She was well educated, a devout follower of God and a role model for all of the women that attended her club. Her significance for the establishment of a distinctive American identity is great as she was the first woman in America to stand up for "Women's Rights" and promoted women to be educated and to have a voice. Although I had never heard of her before now, her story is truly inspirational and must inspire many men and women in America today.