Introduction
Currently, people have many freedoms that were inaccessible to residents of the past centuries. One of these is the right to vote, especially regarding religious views. If in modern society, every person, regardless of gender and position, can preach any religion, then in the seventeenth century, everything was completely different. Hence, one of the most high-profile lawsuits of the previous centuries was the trial of Anna Hutchinson. She was condemned by the governor of Massachusetts for heresy, and as the teachings she spread among the men and women of that society. The result of this trial was the sentencing of Hutchinson to exile from the community, as she was unfit for him. This event is one of the essential pushes to the origin and development of the concept of free thinking regarding the religious sphere of people’s lives.
Discussion
First of all, it is necessary to gain an understanding of who Anna Hutchinson is and why her story is of profound importance in the historical and religious sphere. Thus, she was born in England in 1578 in the family of a preacher who was once convicted of heresy. From early childhood, Anna has been exposed to religion and religious texts that her father introduced her to. Thus, she grew up a fairly educated woman and knew a lot about faith and scripts. This fact has a controversial character since, on the verge of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, quite a small number of women were educated in this field.
Therefore, Hutchinson was also familiar with many religious thinkers who promoted their knowledge. The most outstanding for Anna was Minister John Cotton, whom she considered the best speaker and preacher. The peculiarity of the religious preaching of this figure was the idea that God himself decides who deserves to go to heaven and who to hell. Thus, the good and noble actions of people during their lifetime had no meaning within the framework of this teaching. However, at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Puritan teachings were not approved by the Anglican Church, which presented a significant problem. Subsequently, Cotton moved to America, which prompted Anna and her husband and children to also head west.
After moving to the United States, Hutchinson began working as a midwife while combining this with her other activities. Inspired by Cotton’s teachings, Anna devoted a lot of time to religion. However, it is essential to highlight the fact that, unlike modern society, the Puritan customs of that time forbade women from taking any part in the church. This was the reason that Hutchinson took the initiative to create study groups. Hence, she organized meetings on the territory of her own house, at which she spread knowledge that had a close connection with those proclaimed by Cotton. Thus, the number of Hutchinson’s followers began to gradually grow and attract the attention of not only women but also men. Gradually, these meetings began to attract negative attention from the governor of the camp in Massachusetts, where the Hutchinson family was located. Due to the increased attention to the person of a woman who was engaged in religious teaching contrary to the privileged, she was taken on trial for heresy.
From the beginning, the trial was mostly on the side of the accused. She successfully coped with the defense of herself and her views, arguing for her duration with parts of the Bible. However, the proclamation that God spoke to Hutchinson caused confusion and anger among the jury, the judge and the rest of the participants in the trial. Thus, Anna Hutchinson was expelled from the community in which she lived. Later, she was killed in New Netherland during an Indian attack.
Further, this work will examine how the court attempted to portray Hutchinson as a woman who falls outside of the typical or accepted norms of Puritan society. To gain a more detailed understanding of how the trial of Anna Hutchinson took place and what factors particularly strongly influenced its course, it is necessary to consider the historical and religious background. Thus, during the accusation and punishment, she lived in a Puritan community. This factor caused a transparent distribution of male and female responsibilities and a precise adherence to religion (Evans 31). Thus, it is noted that the Bible was considered the only valuable book that was used to interpret all the events taking place.
Thus, the actions of Anna Hutchinson had unfavorable characteristics that were forbidden by the Puritan society of the seventeenth century. This was the reason for bringing the woman to trial for heresy. One of the main accusations against Hutchinson was that she preached opposing views on religion. Moreover, women in the seventeenth century were not allowed to take part in the religious activities of the church (Evans 32). It is known that “women could not be ministers, could not vote on church matters, and could not even talk in church” (The Trial of Anne Hutchinson para. 12). It is worth noting that they had the right to gather to discuss various aspects related to faith, but it had to happen behind closed walls of the house. However, Hutchinson’s relatively active position regarding the real meaning of good actions and following the church led to the fact that she faced negative consequences in the form of expulsion from society.
Of particular importance during the trial of Anna Hutchinson were her final words. This is due to the fact that, perhaps, if she had decided not to pronounce them, she would have received a more straightforward sentencing. Thus, in the final part of Hutchinson’s sentencing trial, the woman said that God had spoken to her (Transcript of the Trial of Anne Hutchinson 15). In other words, she emphasized that she was divinely touched, which critically contradicted all the canons of faith of that time. This was unacceptable since God only could speak to people through Bible. Moreover, the fact of doubt in the preachers and ministers only added to the dissatisfaction with Hutchinson, which showed her not complying with norms and traditions.
Furthermore, the second reason was that Anna not only did not conform to the typical traditional norms of Puritan society, but she also violated patriarchal foundations. This happened when she took over the position of educator and preacher of the faith to the people. Moreover, spreading the knowledge that good actions are not enough to get to heaven has already been an aggravating aspect of her activities. Thus, gaining an increasing number of followers, among whom there were both men and women, she discredited the patriarchal system.
Anna Hutchinson, despite being an exemplary wife, hostess, and religious woman, contributed to portraying her as a person who overstepped her role as a woman. Thus, her main claim to her was that she held a leading position over men, which was unacceptable. It is possible to suggest that Hutchinson’s activities contributed to the spread of the belief that she would cause other women to rebel. This could have been due to Hutchinson’s rather respected position, which she gained due to the following religion and having a reasonably wealthy life in the Massachusetts community.
Thus, this part of the work supports the opinion that the court and its participants had a negative attitude towards Hutchinson and already had deliberate views on the punishment of the woman. First of all, a significant role was played by the fact that only men were participants in the court, and the decision was also for the governor. This was due to social and religious norms that women did not have the right to take part in this kind of activity.
Moreover, regarding religion, the Puritan community was also not on the same side as Hutchinson. This negative aspect arises as a consequence of the formation of the idea that a woman wanted to reduce the role of the church and authorities, which at that time were of significant importance in society. The ability to attract people and an even attitude to her activities helped Hutchinson gain popularity and strength in the society in which she preached. This also caused apprehension on the part of the participants in the trial since only a man could occupy the central place in a patriarchal society.
The next aspect that needs to be considered is the accusations of the court, which can be seen as both damaging and inappropriate as they pertain to Hutchinson. Thus, first of all, it is essential to consider what the woman was accused of and what information was offered during the hearing of her case. Research provided information that she was taken to court for “breaking the Fifth Commandment by dishonoring the fathers of the Commonwealth, improperly holding meetings in her home, and defaming authorized ministers” (Evans 31;Vile para. 6). In these components of the trial, the assumptions that the participants in the proceedings had regarding Anna Hutchinson are clearly visible.
It is worth noting that the attitude of the participants of the meeting and the judge during the trial and sentencing may be of critical importance for the accused. Henceforth, from the very beginning, the court was not on Hutchinson’s side since the role of judge, and the chief prosecutor was played by the person who brought charges against her. This contributes to the construction of the argument that the court initially had a confident attitude and attitude toward Hutchinson, which is the negative side of the whole process.
One of the assumptions about Anna Hutchinson was the belief that she was trying to undermine the authority of the church. Therefore, in addition to accusations of reducing the role of men in society, she began to be prescribed a desire to destroy established religious postulates. However, it can be suggested that Hutchinson did not have such a natural desire; perhaps all she wanted was to open people’s eyes to what, in her opinion, was accurate and needed to be realized.
In addition, during the trial, Hutchinson showed her decent behavior, good manners, and education. This significantly helped her in the fight for her rights in the first two charges and the assumptions associated with them. To do this, she used arguments from Biblical teachings, which she knew very well. However, this way of protecting her own freedom of thought and speech did not give her a victory in court. After hearing about the sacred revelation, Hutchinson secured immediate punishment. Thus, in this case, the court’s assumptions were confirmed that she does not support puritanical norms and rules and, at the same time, also does not observe social norms and orders.
Thus, this part of the work comes to the conclusion that the accusations of the court were seen as both damaging and unnecessary as they pertained to Hutchinson. This mainly concerns the fact that Anna Hutchinson violated many rules and norms that were established in this society. In other words, the woman went against the religious doctrine of the seventeenth century and openly proclaimed her views on the concepts of God, heaven, and hell. When participating in the trial, Hutchinson defended her rights and conduct of actions, as she did not believe that she had done something wrong. It is worth noting that initially, the charges of the court may seem strained and unfounded. Despite this, it is essential to remember that at that time, a woman did not have such freedoms that would have given her the opportunity to behave in a way that was different from society. Thus, the judge considered that Hutchinson had overstepped the bounds of what was permissible; therefore, she should be punished. Moreover, this was due not only to the fact that she belittled the importance of men in a patriarchal society but also provoked women to more active actions and life positions. This is due to the fact that a large number of women attended her classes, which distracted them from performing their duties.
The last aspect that requires analysis as part of the trial of Anna Hutchinson’s case study is determining how her demeanor as she responded to the court’s accusations regarding her religious activities was falling outside of the norm. Human behavior plays a significant role when interacting with other individuals. In particular, this aspect concerns extremely stressful and stressful cases like the court. Therefore, as mentioned earlier in this academic paper, the court sentenced Hutchinson for heresy, which is a distinctive religious opinion. Henceforth, the woman supported the opinion that God himself makes decisions about where a person goes after death. With confidence and knowledge of what she was fighting for, Hutchinson was able to effectively and successfully defend herself against two of the three main charges.
Moreover, when reading the transcript of the trial, readers can gain a detailed understanding that initially, this process had no validity and necessity. However, the central climax occurred when Hutchinson stated that God spoke to her, in other words, appeared to her, and she received a divine touching. The tool that a woman skillfully and effectively appeals to is the Bible (Evans 31). This aspect is supported by the fact that this scripture had all the most valuable data about religion and its basic postulates. Thus, convincing the participants in the trial of her rightness with the help of Biblical texts and references from her becomes an effective tool for her.
The last aspect that stands out when studying the trial of Anna Hutchinson is her demeanor. The manner in which she behaved and presented herself to other participants in the process gave Hutchinson a significant advantage and helped her defend herself during the trial. Thus, the woman answered quite confidently and convincingly and backed up most of her statements with information from the Bible (Transcript of the Trial of Anne Hutchinson 15). This tactic is one of the most effective when providing a personal opinion that can contradict someone’s point of view. In addition, the fact that most of the accusations against Hutchinson were based on the fact that her religious activities were falling outside of the norm (Evans 31). Thus, the strength of Hutchinson’s performances was that she “responded to them Biblical citation for Biblical citation” (Evans 32). Due to the fact that the woman had a high level of education thanks to her father, she was able to adequately and correctly answer all the questions and accusations presented to her in court. However, a severe loss from the side was the mention that God spoke to Hutchinson. This affected her crushing defeat and the loss of the court.
In conclusion, this work investigated the process of the trial of Anna Hutchinson. Thus, the basis of this conflict was the confrontation of two views on religion. However, from a deeper perspective, it can be seen that Hutchinson’s accusations were provided not only because of her perception of faith. Hence, one of the reasons was the fact that she began to gradually gain power that women of that time could not have. This is due to the fact that, being an educated woman, she tried to educate other women and men. It is worth noting that in a puritan society, a woman could not take part in church activities. Thus, the fact of organizing gatherings at the preacher’s house caused discontent in the patriarchal society, as its members were afraid that Hutchinson could provoke the strengthening of women’s rights.
Moreover, the court tried to present Hutchinson in an unfavorable form due to the fact that she preached that God chooses what happens to a person after death and that good deeds do not affect life after death in any way. During the trial, Anna Hutchinson perfectly maintained her demeanor and spoke clearly and argumentatively. However, the words that God appeared to her contributed to the complete destruction of the arguments built up by her and influenced the adoption of the sentence of her exile. Therefore, most of the accusations of the court were seen as both damaging and inappropriate as they pertained to Hutchinson. When studying the trial of Anna Hutchinson, individuals may gain an understanding that the charges did not have full validity.
Conclusion
The study of this trial becomes an example of the importance of taking into account free speech and free thinking. Moreover, special importance should be given to the crucial role of observing and respecting human rights. Anna Hutchinson is a figure who firmly believed in her teachings and that she brings goodness and enlightenment to people. She proved the same throughout the entire trial, which ultimately was not in her favor. The conditions of the seventeenth century also contributed to Hutchinson being tried and expelled from her place of residence. At that time, women only had the opportunity to discuss their religious views only at home, which explains the public outcry associated with Hutchinson’s group meetings.
Works Cited
Evans, Sara. Born for Liberty: A History of Women in America. Free Press Paperbacks, 1997.
“The Trial of Anne Hutchinson (1637): An Account.” Famous Trials, Web.
“Transcript of the Trial of Anne Hutchinson (1637)” BCS, no date, Web.
Vile, John R. “Anne Hutchinson.” The First Amendment Encyclopedia, no date, Web.