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In the 1600s a woman named Anne Hutchison brought controversy among the Puritan
community in Massachusetts. Hutchinson came from a family where her dad was a Puritan
reformer and minister of a church. As controversy within their religion was something
Hutchinson was familiar with, the treatment she received for her so-called “wrongdoings” seem
to be unjust. While Hutchinson was a wife and mother to her children, she also had a passion for
theology and teaching the Bible. She started having weekly Bible meetings in her home and as
attendance grew, men started to attend the study, which was the start to her troubles with the
governor and colony. Hutchinson also held a “free-grace” point of view which was controversial
to the Puritans predestination beliefs. While it is Biblically true that women should not be the
host of studies over men, the treatment she received for her actions were unfair. Hutchinson had
many great qualities and contributions to spreading the word of God, that her arrest, trial, and
banishment from the colony seems biased. While there was a lot of controversy surrounding the
trial of Anne Hutchison, by looking at both sides of the argument, I believe the impact she made
standing up for her beliefs was overall more positive.
On one side, in a peer review journal article, Francis Bremer takes a deeper look into the
Puritan beliefs. As Bremer is an advocate of Puritanism himself, he is able to offer an educated
and well rounded view of what life was like for Anne Hutchinson. Women during this time did
not have much of a hand in the public roles of the world, but they did when it came to duties in
their own home. “But Protestants believed that all men and women should have the opportunity
to engage with God's word directly in the scriptures. This meant that they believed it important
for all girls as well as boys to learn to read. Wives were expected to lead their families in
worship and catechize members of the household when their husband was absent” (Bremer,
2018). Knowing that Puritans held this belief, it is saddening to see that Hutchinson was not
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given credit where due. Hutchinson had seven children that she cared for dearly, and the Bible
studies she hosted were in the confines of her home. She was encouraging people to dive deeper
into their relationship with God and to not blindly accept what authorities say, without seeing
what God's word has to say. An easy solution to her “disruption of the colony” could have been a
compromise to only have women attend the study. Though during the time of her trial there was
no compromise, she was only given the option to stop everything she was doing or be evicted
from the colony.
Furthermore, Anne Hutchinson's life growing up was documented in a biography written
by Edith Curtis. Through the biography readers are able to come away with a deeper
understanding of what Hutchinson's life was like growing up and living in a colony. In this
discovery, the author points out that “When Anne began to preach according to her own inward
light, and when she professed to feel that the spirit of God was upon her, it was extremely vexing
to men whose guide was the Written Word and that alone” (Curtis, 1930). People were not used
to a “spirit filled and led” type of teaching and they definitely were not used to teachings coming
from a woman. All of this was especially surprising considering at one point there were around
200 people attending Hutchinson's meetings. Through all of this, seeing the growth in
Hutchinson's meetings speaks for what kind of impact she had on those around her. People were
curious to hear what she had to say whether they agree or disagree. Besides Hutchinsons Bible
studies, she also ministered to women one on one. “She soon won a place in the hearts of the
women of the colony by ministering to them during illness” (Curtis, 1930). Her life depicts one
of dedication and serving, despite the backlash and criticism she received. Oftentimes people
forget that God will be the ultimate judge of our actions. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
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commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things” (ESV, Phil.4:8). Many of Hutchinson's characteristics should've been praised, as she was
leading others to God, yet she was torn down for not abiding by what others wanted.
The last piece regarding Anne Hutchinson's life, comes from a scholarly website that
recognizes Hutchinson as being bold during a time where women typically had no widespread
voice. They hold quite a different perspective compared to many other articles written about her
because they don’t recognize her as fighting for women's rights. Instead they focus on her life as
a person and the effect she made that would change history. “In 1922 a statue of Hutchinson was
erected on the grounds of the Massachusetts State House. In 1945 the legislature voted to revoke
her banishment. Today Anne Hutchinson is remembered as an advocate of freedom of religion
and of women's rights. Although in reality she was neither, she was a brave and principled
woman who had the courage to speak her mind in a society that allowed women no public voice”
(Anne Hutchinson Banished, n.d.). Remarkably this change was made hundreds of years after
Hutchinsons incident. To the benefit of our society, the Bill of Rights was eventually written and
established in 1689 to be part of our constitution. Under the Bill of Rights is the protection of the
First Amendment, which protects people practicing their religion. Considering the Bill of Rights
came after Hutchinson's trial, it is compelling to think what the outcome would have been if the
Bill of Rights had been in place at that time. “The Founders’ commitment to religious freedom is
notable in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These first words opening the Bill of Rights
emphasize the importance of freedom of conscience with respect to religion” (Anne Hutchinson:
midwife of religious freedom, n.d.). Furthermore, proving Hutchinson’s treatment was unfair and
a violation of her rights as a person. It is events and trials like Hutchinons that have shaped our
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country into establishing the freedoms we have today. Hutchinson eagerly stood up for what she
knew was right at the time and for a greater purpose that led to history being made.
After evaluating the life of Anne Hutchinson, I remain steadfast in the opinion that
Hutchinson was a courageous woman who did not deserve to be banished and put on trial for her
actions. Though some of her actions were not Biblically accurate, the treatment she received was
harsh and violated her rights as an individual. I believe there could have been a better solution,
such as making a compromise within study, rather than forcing her to stop the ministry
altogether. Living in San Jose, California, seeing women pastors is something I am noticing
more often than not. Although I do not agree with their stance on being pastors, I see that their
heart is to serve God. Ultimately I believe it is our job as Christians to gently guide other
Christians in the right direction, but we should never banish them for not listening to us. It is our
job to pray for them and continue to be a light to those around us, despite their actions. Just as
Hutchinson was slightly off in her stance, we as Christians can be off too sometimes too, yet God
extends grace to us daily. I want to remember Anne Hutchinson as a woman who loved greatly,
sacrificed, and sought to serve the Lord and all those around her.
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Bibliography
Anne Hutchinson banished. African Meeting House Opens. (n.d.).
https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/anne-hutchinson-banished.html
Anne Hutchinson:midwife of religious freedom. (n.d.).
https://www.crf-usa.org/images/pdf/Anne-Hutchinson.pdf
Bremer, F. J. (2018). Dissenting Puritans: Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer. Historical
Journal of Massachusetts, 46(1), 22-45,X.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/dissenting-puritans-anne-hutchinson-mary-dyer/docview/1980490108/se-2
Curtis, E. R. (1930). Anne hutchinson : A biography. Washburn & Thomas, 1930.
Ephesians 4:8. English standard version (ESV) - version information - biblegateway.com. (n.d.).
https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/
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