Introduction
In 1634, Ann Hutchinson moved to Massachusetts Bay with her family and husband after being born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1591. She was initially well-liked in the neighborhood due to her brilliance and kind demeanor, but she gradually encountered problems due to her loud personality and religious beliefs. Francis Marbury’s dragon at Christ Church in Cambridge, England, had a daughter named Anne.
In his outspoken remarks, Anne’s father expressed his opinion that most Church of England ministers lacked the necessary training for their job. He was quickly taken into custody and held for a year in response to his dissenting remarks. He was apprehended several additional times despite this, showing no sign of stopping.
Thus, Anne’s early development of an interest in theology and religion came as no surprise, and she showed daring in her inquiries concerning the church and her beliefs. While attending homeschool, Anne studied books from her father’s library, where she learned many questions concerning faith, for which there were also solutions.
In the year 1605, Anne and her family relocated to London. When Anne turned 21, she married Will Hutchinson, a reputable textile trader, and the couple moved back to Alford. The pair identified as members of the Puritan movement and adhered to preacher John Cotton’s beliefs.
Opposition of Anne Hutchinson
In the past, Anne would bring her female friends and neighbors around to discuss the teachings and the Bible. Anne made it clear in her sessions that she thought anybody could talk to God directly without the aid of the Bible or clergy. At a time in history when women were prohibited from learning new things, Anne, who was clever, shared her opinions on many subjects.
As a result of her well-liked debates, men soon started to support her, including well-known figures like Sir Henry Vane, who subsequently won the election for governor of the colony. Because of her powerful oratory, she started drawing sizable crowds of men and women. The Massachusetts Bay Colony’s governor, John Winthrop, described her four times as a “hell-spawned agent of destructive anarchy” and “a woman of the haughty and fierce carriage, a nimble wit and active spirit, a very voluble tongue, bolder than a man.” She was a well-known woman who fought for a free society in 17th-century New England and finally paid the price with her life.
The exceptional manifestations of uninitiated religious participation during the English Interregnum were of particular interest to the colonists of New England in the 1630s. In addition to providing advice on how their native land should be revitalized, the colonists also had to contend with the claim that New England was the birthplace of the time’s heresies. In addition, they dealt with the importation of ideologies that many saw as threatening the hierarchy of existing churches. Freed from the danger of the Presbyterian national church, English Congregationalists were pushed to continue on their path to creating a reformed kingdom.
During this time, the colonists of New England sought to establish a pure and unified church. They emphasized the importance of individual piety and believed that only those who had experienced a personal conversion should be admitted as church members. This led to a strict moral code and a culture of discipline within the community. However, this also resulted in the exclusion of nonconformists and dissenters, which led to conflicts and tensions with neighboring colonies and native peoples. Despite these challenges, the colonists remained committed to their vision of a godly society and continued to work towards building a community that reflected their values and beliefs.
Conclusion
Hutchinson was an unorthodox, alluring lady who questioned church theology and the place of women in such discussions in a society where men predominate. Historian Murray depicted her as a despotic Puritanical theocracy of Massachusetts Bay. She was endowed with an attraction that only a select few had, and up until the moment of her downfall, her warm supporters considerably outnumbered those who opposed her. The only way the authorities could break her hold on the town was through cunning scheming. Antinomianism, which translates as “against the law,” was a derogatory name used to describe Anne and her “free grace” adherents.
My view of Anne Hutchinson has not changed since she dared to confront male authority and implicitly accepted gender norms. Although Anne did not have a formal education, she was a sharp thinker and reader, like other women of her era who did not have one. Hutchinson’s clear assumption of power over males in her sermon was why she was convicted of heresy in 1637.
Hutchinson stressed her right to preach, ardently backed by her husband, when males were in charge and women were expected to submit. This did not affect my opinion. They believed she would encourage other women to revolt, which made males afraid of her. Since more people were paying attention to her, the magistrate determined that she was dangerous and needed to be stopped.
References
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. 2015. “Who Was Anne Hutchinson?” History of Massachusetts Blog. Web.
LaPlante, Eve. 2006. American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Tobin, L. 1990. “A Radically Different Voice: Gender and Language in the Trials of Anne Hutchinson.” Early American Literature, 25(3), 253-270.