Anne Hutchinson the Hero

Anne Hutchinson arrived in Boston in 1934, travelling from England. She took the long journey as part of a massive migration of Puritans escaping the oppressive catholic ideals and barbaric leadership in the Church of England. These colonialists had the target of forming a society that works under the guidance of the laws of God. Anne and her family joined the existent Puritan society in Boston, and Anne reconnected with her iconic minister, John Cotton. (Mayer 105) states that Anne is one of the significant but often forgotten figures who could tell off the town leaders if she saw that they were running the community incorrectly. That was viewed as wrong because society did not permit women to express their views. Anne Hutchinson may be called a hero if we define the term as a person who, endowed with extraordinary qualities of heart and mind, bravely sets out to achieve a near-impossible goal that entails risk and succeeds in the face of severe opposition from a male-dominated society.

Anne would go to any length to prove wrong the ministers' preaching. She outrightly disagreed with their sermons and gave the audience how she would have presented the teaching. During the time, women could not dare to voice their opinions, but Anne went a step further to criticize the male leaders in society. (Shelton) states that such an action during the time could lead to anarchy. Her contradicting actions ended in being presented before the influential magistrates and ministers in a Massachusetts Bay court (Tobin 253). They assembled to put to trial a woman who posed a threat to their vision in the community. Even though the leaders had not established the charges to use against her, they were sure of her verdict that as a woman, a mother, and also a biblical scholar was guilty. They asserted that the offences were punishable by death. During the court session, the leaders argued that they did not want to hear the opinions of a foolish woman, and whenever she tried to speak up, she got asked to shut up. After deeming her guilty and on the verge of giving a death sentence, an expectant Hutchinson dared them to go ahead. She said that she was a mother of thirteen, and if they hung her, her unborn baby would die along with her (Shelton). Hutchinson added that society and God would never forgive them, and instead, they would bring punishment to themselves and the following generations. She spoke with much conviction such that the elders could not execute her despite finding her guilty of heresy. However, they banished her and her family from Massachusetts society and forced her to move to the newly established Rhode Island (Shelton).

Anne’s story is bound by the regulations that were in effect during the time on gender and roles in religion. The prominence of Anne took place mostly between 1836 and 1838. She came up as an uncontrollable, charismatic woman who saw no boundaries in challenging religious doctrines and advocating for the promotion of the roles of women in a society that was male-dominated (Mayer 108). Anne got gifted with knowledge and understanding of religion that the authorities found it challenging in facing her. They only had to employ manoeuvring techniques to be able to disconnect her from the tight hold of the community. The same is evident when Governor John Winthrop commenced Anne’s trial by asserting that she showed a lack of respect to the leaders in the commonwealth (Tobin 253). Still, some of the leaders stated that their reaction to Anne’s action did not matter; rather, the punishments of excommunication were considerate and mild (Shelton).

The main objective of the leaders was to humiliate Anne Hutchinson publicly and finally to remove her from the community because they saw her as a threat to the society’s religion and the state (Tobin 254). Most historians fail to acknowledge Anne as a legitimate advocate for another social gender philosophy but instead term her a blameless victim. Perhaps the best way to view the story is to see the ministers reacting to Anne’s stand with fear, envy, and anger rather than seeing her as against their teachings. Likewise, gender should not be seen as the second issue in this matter but should be considered as the primary cause. The controversy is heightened by the factor that a mere Puritan woman was humiliating powerful men. Subsequently, the feminist and intelligent manner in which she was presenting her ideas made them appear threatened and angered in a way that even they could not explain (Tobin 254). Gender was vital in Hutchinson’s trial, and it is evident that she got to trial partly because she could not behave in a manner that was in agreement with her gender requirements. During the hearing, (Tobin 255) states that Winthrop told Anne that they did not mean to discourse the women, and in another case, John Cotton warns the women in the Boston church against picking the example of Hutchinson.

Anne Hutchinson planned discussion groups that won the attention of many women and later joined by dozens of men, and this in itself was a courageous move. To her, the ministers were mere legalists who depended on the law and lacked spirit (Tobin 258). It empowered women who were required by society and religion to keep quiet and be submissive to their husbands. However, Hutchinson’s meetings dwelt much on the errors made by the ministers in delivering their sermons and the offensive manner in which the authorities ran the state. Her influence and speech were untamable, leading to antinomianism dominating Boston while the countryside began aligning itself with the doctrine. The same is evident in her extraordinary speech during her trial that made people describe Hutchinson as a unique woman in the history of a male-dominated community. (Tobin 256). Had the ministers and the magistrates not taken action, religious and gender differences would have sparked unstoppable politics. Anne’s antinomianism came under much criticism in all the churches and public gatherings, and was deemed as an individual who undermined peace and threatened to bring down the Puritan religion in the state. The accusation heightened to the level of alleged sexual misconduct and Satanism. In 1636, Hutchinson and her antinomianism friends, like Cotton, Reverend Wheelwright, and Governor Vale, experienced an immense attack from the Orthodox Puritan Ministers. Wheelwright was tried and deemed guilty of treason and contempt after committing himself to advocate for strive in the community, and he was excommunicated from Massachusetts. Likewise, Vale could not get re-elected to the gubernatorial seat, and Hutchinson’s leading enemy (Winthrop) won the position instead. Despite the pressure that resulted from the fall of her close and supportive allies, she remained firm.

Anne Hutchinson is one of the bold women who could not get shunned by any authorities for expressing their opinions. Despite being a mother of fourteen, she stood out. She upheld her religion and voiced her opinions and displeasure on anything that the religious leaders and the community leaders did against her religious beliefs. She is indeed a hero of her mettle as she stands against the respected male leaders who the other people, let alone women, could dare to question. Out of fear, anger, and jealousy, the leaders rose against her and judged her in a court which was male-dominated. The trial was one-sided, and the sentence was death, but the daring Hutchinson challenged them to go ahead and hang her, but they get assured punishments and curses will haunt them and the generations that follow. Even though Hutchinson’s life is short-lived and troubled, she is recognized as a hero today.

Works Cited

Mayer, Robert H. "Use the story of Anne Hutchinson to teach historical thinking." The Social Studies 90.3 (1999): 105-109.

Shelton, Ramona. "Anne Hutchinson- My Hero". Ramonashelton.Blogspot.Com, 2020, http://ramonashelton.blogspot.com/2011/09/anne-hutchinson-my-hero.html.

Tobin, Lad. "A Radically Different Voice: Gender and Language in the Trials of Anne Hutchinson." Early American Literature 25.3 (1990): 253-270.