Liang 1 Sandy Liang Mr. Clarke American Literature 1 March 2002 ?Anne Hutchinson? Anne Hutchinson, a religious woman who paved the way for religious freedom in the Puritan society of New England (and a bit of Boston), is seen by some as a loving wife and mother whose personal ideas were misunderstood to be an extreme religious change. Others are less sympathetic, especially the men. Whatever her motives may have been, she was clearly a great leader in the fight for religious toleration and equality for women in America. Because of her beliefs, Anne Hutchinson was banished from Boston for crimes against her religion (Bailyn 88).
Anne Hutchinson was born in Alford, England, in 1591 into a very religious community (Puritan). Her father, Francis Marbury, spoke out against ministers in the Church of England who he thought were unfit to lead the people all the time. He was put in jail for one year for his beliefs.
Anne Hutchinson on Trial
John Calvin
Statue of Anne HutchinsonWhen he got out of jail he still spoke openly against church officials. After constant arrests, Francis finally stopped his verbal attacks on the church. Much of Anne?s independence and willingness to speak out was due to the influence of her father. Anne was educated at home and read many of her father?s books on theology and religion. She was always interested in religious questions and admired her father for his honesty (?Anne?? 1-2).
Years passed, and Anne Hutchinson married to Will Hutchinson at the age of twenty-one. They continued to live in Alford, England where she was a housewife and mother for a long time. Anne was fascinated by a minister named John Cotton because his Protestant sermons were about the purification of the church. Puritans were somewhat like the Protestants because Liang 2 they both rebelled against the...