APUSH (AP US History) Deep Dive 2.7: Anne Hutchinson

Summary

Anne Hutchinson was a pioneering figure in American history, known for her defiance of Puritan authority. Born in England in 1592, she immigrated to Massachusetts where she began preaching controversial religious ideas, advocating for personal spiritual connection over strict moral laws. Her beliefs, combined with her role as a female religious leader, challenged Puritan leaders and led to her trial and banishment. Hutchinson's legacy of rebellion, education, and gender defiance remains influential, though her life ended tragically in a Native American attack. She was posthumously pardoned in 1987, 300 years after her death.

Takeaways

• 📚 Anne Hutchinson was a highly educated woman for her time, taught to read by her Puritan minister father who emphasized the importance of reading the Bible.
• 🤰 She was a mother of many, giving birth to 15 children, reflecting the family norms of the 17th century.
• 🏛 Anne's father's criticism of the church and subsequent legal troubles for heresy set a precedent for Anne's own challenges against religious authority.
• 🌐 Anne and her family were part of a larger Puritan migration from England to the New World due to religious persecution under King Charles I.
• 👩‍🏫 In Boston, Anne Hutchinson became a religious leader, hosting Bible study meetings in her home that challenged the prevailing Puritan doctrine of predestination.
• 🚫 Her teachings, which promoted a personal connection with God over strict adherence to societal rules, were seen as a threat to the Puritan establishment and led to her excommunication.
• 💬 Hutchinson's gender and her role as a preacher to both men and women were particularly provocative, challenging the societal norms of her time.
• 🏡 She was banned from holding meetings in her home, but defied the order, demonstrating her rebellious nature.
• 🚫 Anne was brought to court, where she claimed to have direct revelations from God, which was seen as a direct challenge to the male-dominated religious and civil authorities.
• ❄️ Following her banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Hutchinson and her followers founded the city of Portsmouth in Rhode Island, seeking religious freedom.
• 🔪 Tragically, Anne Hutchinson was killed by Native American warriors in New Amsterdam, an event that was seen by some as divine retribution for her defiance.

Q & A

Who was Anne Hutchinson and where was she born?

Anne Hutchinson was an influential Puritan woman born in England in 1592. She became known for her religious views and defiance of traditional Puritan authority.

What role did Anne’s father play in her education and beliefs?

Anne’s father, a Puritan minister, taught her how to read so she could read the Bible. He also influenced her rebellious spirit by encouraging her to stand up for her beliefs, even against church authority.

What religious ideas did Anne Hutchinson adopt from John Cotton?

Anne Hutchinson followed Puritan minister John Cotton, who preached the idea of predestination, which is the belief that God has already decided who will go to heaven or hell. Anne expanded this idea to believe that earthly behavior could not determine salvation, which became central to her teachings.

Why did Anne Hutchinson and her family flee to the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

They fled England due to King Charles I’s persecution of Puritans. In 1634, Anne and her family followed John Cotton, who had already fled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious freedom.

What was the controversy surrounding Anne Hutchinson’s preaching?

Anne Hutchinson preached that a personal connection with God, not earthly behavior, determined one’s salvation. This challenged the strict moral laws of the Puritans and the authority of the male-dominated religious leadership in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

What was 'antinomianism,' and how did it relate to Anne Hutchinson?

Antinomianism is the belief that Christians are freed from following moral laws through God’s grace. Anne Hutchinson’s teachings aligned with this belief, which directly conflicted with Puritan doctrine, leading to her persecution.

Why did Anne Hutchinson’s meetings cause alarm among Puritan leaders?

Anne’s meetings, which attracted up to 80 people and included men, threatened Puritan leadership not only because of her controversial religious ideas but also because she was a woman preaching to men, defying traditional gender roles.

What were the consequences of Anne Hutchinson’s trial in 1637?

During her trial, Anne claimed that God spoke directly to her, which was seen as a threat to male authority. She was convicted of heresy and banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, leading her and her followers to establish a settlement in Rhode Island.

How did Governor Winthrop and other Puritan leaders respond to Anne Hutchinson’s stillbirth?

Governor Winthrop and other Puritan leaders used Anne’s stillbirth as evidence that God was punishing her. They spread rumors that she gave birth to a demon child, using this as a warning against following her teachings.

What happened to Anne Hutchinson after she moved to New Amsterdam?

After moving to New Amsterdam (later New York) in 1643, Anne and her family were killed in a Native American attack. Governor Winthrop saw her death as divine justice, calling her an 'instrument of the devil.'

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Early Life and Influences of Anne Hutchinson

Anne Hutchinson was born in England in 1592 to a Puritan Minister who believed in educating his daughter to read the Bible. This early education instilled in her a love for learning and a rebellious spirit against the church's authority. She married William Hutchinson and moved to Boston with him, where she continued her religious studies and began teaching Bible lessons, attracting followers of John Cotton's preaching on predestination. Her belief in a personal connection with God, independent of societal rules, led to the development of antinomianism, which was seen as a threat to the Puritan doctrine.

05:01

📜 Persecution and Banishment of Anne Hutchinson

Anne Hutchinson's religious philosophy, which contradicted the Puritan leaders' beliefs, led to her being seen as a threat to the social order in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her meetings, which included both men and women, were seen as disruptive, and she was forbidden from holding them. Despite this, she continued her gatherings, leading to her being called to court. During her trial, she claimed to have direct revelations from God, which further angered the authorities. As a result, she was banished from the colony, and she left with her family and other followers to Rhode Island, where she founded Portsmouth. Tragically, her last pregnancy ended in a stillbirth, which was used by her opponents to spread rumors of divine punishment.

10:01

🔥 Tragic End and Posthumous Recognition

Anne Hutchinson's life took a tragic turn when her town in Rhode Island was attacked by Native American warriors, resulting in her death and the death of most of her family. Her surviving daughter was kidnapped but later returned to Boston. Despite the persecution and the tragic end, Anne Hutchinson's legacy as a pioneering female figure in American history was not forgotten. It took until 1987 for the Massachusetts governor to officially pardon her, clearing her of any wrongdoing. Her story is a testament to the struggle for religious freedom and the fight against established authority, making her one of the first and most influential 'girl bosses' in US history.

Keywords

💡Puritan

Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from what they considered to be remnants of Roman Catholic practices. In the video, Anne Hutchinson's father was a Puritan minister, emphasizing the importance of reading the Bible and standing up for one's beliefs, which influenced Anne's life and teachings.

💡Predestination

Predestination is the theological concept that all events, including the salvation of individuals, are predetermined by a higher power, in this case, God. The video discusses how Anne and her family followed John Cotton, who preached the Puritan theory of predestination, suggesting that God has predetermined who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.

💡Antinomianism

Antinomianism is the belief that Christians, through faith and God's grace, are not bound by moral laws. Anne Hutchinson's religious philosophy, as described in the video, was considered antinomian because she believed that a personal connection with God, rather than behavior, determined one's salvation, challenging the established Puritan moral laws.

💡Separatist

A Separatist is someone who seeks to separate from an established religious group, often due to disagreements over doctrine or practice. In the video, Anne Hutchinson was accused of being a separatist because her teachings were seen as potentially dividing the church and challenging the authority of the Puritan leaders.

💡Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a state in the United States known historically as a haven for religious dissenters. After being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Anne Hutchinson and her family, along with other families, moved to Rhode Island, where they founded the city of Portsmouth, as mentioned in the video.

💡Heresy

Heresy refers to the act of believing in or advocating a doctrine or belief system contrary to the established religious beliefs of a church. Anne Hutchinson was tried for heresy in the video because her religious views and teachings were seen as a threat to the Puritan church's authority.

💡Personal Connection with God

This concept is central to Anne Hutchinson's teachings, as she believed that anyone could attain heaven through a personal connection with God, independent of societal rules and moral laws. This belief is highlighted in the video as a key aspect of her philosophy that set her apart from the Puritan doctrine.

💡Banishment

Banishment, or being banished, refers to the act of being expelled from a place, often as a form of punishment. Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony due to her religious views, as discussed in the video, which led her to move to Rhode Island.

💡New Amsterdam

New Amsterdam was a Dutch colonial settlement that later became New York City. After leaving Rhode Island, Anne Hutchinson and her family moved to New Amsterdam to escape the influence of the Massachusetts leaders, as mentioned in the video. Tragically, they were later attacked and killed by Native American warriors.

💡Pardon

A pardon is an official decision to forgive someone for a crime they have committed. The video concludes with the fact that Anne Hutchinson was posthumously pardoned in 1987 by the Massachusetts governor, Michael Dukakis, which symbolizes the formal recognition of her innocence and the injustice she faced.

Highlights

Anne Hutchinson was an influential figure in early American history, known for her strong beliefs and defiance against religious and societal norms.

Born in England in 1592, Anne was taught to read by her Puritan minister father, who instilled in her the importance of education and a rebellious spirit.

Her father's criticism of the church led to imprisonment, instilling in Anne a legacy of challenging authority.

Anne married William Hutchinson and moved to Boston, where she began teaching Bible lessons and developing her religious philosophy.

She followed Puritan minister John Cotton, who preached the theory of predestination, which Anne would later challenge.

Anne's belief in a personal connection with God, independent of societal behavior, was a radical departure from Puritan doctrine.

Her religious gatherings, which included both men and women, were seen as a threat to the established social order.

Anne's defiance of the Puritan leadership led to her being labeled a heretic and being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Despite being several months pregnant, Anne was called to court in 1637 to defend her beliefs.

Anne's claim that God spoke to her directly was seen as a challenge to the spiritual and civil authority of the time.

She was banished in 1638, along with 30 other families who followed her to Rhode Island, where they founded Portsmouth.

Anne's stillbirth was used by her opponents to spread rumors of divine punishment and to discredit her.

Her husband's death in 1642 and the continued attempts by Massachusetts ministers to silence her highlight the ongoing persecution she faced.

Anne's move to New Amsterdam was an attempt to escape the influence of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's leaders.

The tragic attack by Native American warriors in 1643 led to Anne's death and the murder of her family.

Anne Hutchinson was posthumously pardoned in 1987, over 300 years after her death, officially clearing her name.

Anne Hutchinson's legacy as one of the first and greatest 'girl bosses' in US history is marked by her unwavering commitment to her beliefs.

Transcripts

hi friends all right Ann Hutchinson one

of the original girl bosses in US

history let's get into it have a deep

dive here Anne Hutchinson born in

England in 1592 right near the turn of

the century and her dad was a Puritan

Minister her dad as a Puritan Minister

believed it was really important to

teach his daughter how to read so Anne

was taught to read at a very young age

so that she would be able to read the

Bible education is really important to

the Puritans you've got to be able to

read so that you can read the Bible for

yourself her father followed through

with that and was educated her father

also kind of taught her how to be

rebellious against the church how to

stand up for her beliefs and her

opinions and speak her mind even though

she was a woman um her father had made

some critical comments about the church

and ended up getting put in jail for 2

years he was tried for heresy against

the church and found guilty later

shortly after Anne was born he was put

on trial again for criticizing the

church and was sentenced to 3 years

house arrest after Anne was born so an

has this Legacy one of education but two

little bit of rebellion not afraid to

challenge authorities she ended up

marrying her childhood friend a guy

named William Hutchinson he was a cloth

Merchant and she began teaching Bible

lessons in her home she would have other

women come into her home and they would

basically have Bible study the

hutchinsons became followers of Puritan

minister John Cotton John Cotton

preached the Puritan theory of

predestination predestination is the

belief that God has pre-ordained who's

going to heaven and who's going to hell

from the moment of birth God knows who's

going to heaven and who's going to hell

because God is all knowing um damnation

though according to Cotton can be

determined by Earthly behavior and if if

people don't follow certain rules of the

society they can be damned they can be

kicked out of heaven when when Charles I

became king of England Charles I was a

steart from Scotland and he had some

Catholic sympathies um he converted to

to anglicanism in order to become the

king of England but he still in his

heart had a lot of Catholic sympathies

and because of that Charles I is the is

the king of England who began to

persecute Puritans and Puritans did no

no longer felt safe in England so they

started to flee the country Puritan

Minister John Cotton fled to Boston in

163 three Anne and her family fled to

Boston a year later so you have this

Mass Exodus of Puritans out of England

they end up in in Massachusetts it in

what becomes the Massachusetts Bay

Colony when an arrived in America she

was 43 years old had already had several

children she joined a group of women in

Boston who were healers they worked as

um healers treating illnesses they they

assisted in childbirth and she also

began to kind of home and and speak

become a preacher um developing her

religious philosophy in which she

believed that heaven was attainable to

anybody who developed a personal

connection with God she believed anybody

had the ability to develop a personal

connection with god um that that

behavior doesn't determine whether

someone goes to heaven um it's that

personal connection and if Behavior

can't determine whether you get into

heaven then according to an's Theory

Behavior can't determine if you get

kicked out of heaven and because of this

philosophy it's called antinomianism the

idea that God's Grace has freed a

Christian from having to follow any of

these moral laws because of that that's

when the puritan leaders in

Massachusetts Bay got a little bit upset

with Anne because this idea of not

obeying established moral laws is in

direct violation uh to Puritan Doctrine

by 1636 an was holding two meetings a

week in her home with up to 80 people um

in each meeting and it included both men

and women this is important because it's

not just what an was preaching it's the

fact that it was a woman preaching two

men um and some of these leaders were

pretty high political leaders in the

colony and that's a fear to the Puritan

men who want to keep everybody in their

box and keep everything under control

after a a year of preaching in this way

and holding these meetings in her home

the Puritan leadership felt that an's

preaching could cause dissent and they

did not tolerate dissent in

Massachusetts Bay uh you didn't speak

out against the church you didn't

challenge the laws you followed the

rules you stayed um kind of in the box

that the puritan leaders had subscribed

for you if if an continued to preach it

wasn't just the ideas that she was

preaching that undercut the morality of

the the laws in that Community it was

the fact that it might encourage other

women to rebel against men it might

upset the balance of male dominance over

females in that colony and that was not

something that puritan leaders wanted to

wanted to deal with Governor John

winthrip and John Cotton feared that

Anne was becoming a separatist that she

was pushing to divide the church that

her descent her her her preachings were

going to lead to further descent

and so cotton and other clergy leaders

in the colony passed resolutions

designed to end any descent um they

included one that specifically forbid

meetings in Anne Hutchinson's home they

were targeting her specifically an

ignored that order because an likes to

be a little bit of a rebel Reverend

cotton described her meetings as quote a

promiscuous and filthy coming together

of men and women

super kind of sleazy according to

Reverend cotton in 1637 Anne gets called

to court because this wasn't going to be

able to continue just letting her get

away with this she gets called into

court and at this time she's several

months pregnant I can't remember what

child it was she ended up getting

pregnant with 15 children not all of

them survived to adulthood but she was

pregnant a lot uh and she was pregnant

in 1637 when she gets called into court

and dur during her testimony she

testified that God spoke to her directly

that that she learned how to interpret

scriptures for herself through these

messages from God men saw this as a

challenge men saw this as a challenge to

their Authority both Spiritual Authority

and civil Authority and they proclaimed

her a heretic as a result of that

conviction she was she and her family

were to be banished from The Colony but

it was still winter so they waited until

March uh they remained under house

arrest until winter ended and then in

March of

1738 she and her family left

Massachusetts Bay along with 30 other

families and headed for Rhode Island

Rhode Island was was a Haven for denters

people who had been kicked out of

various other colonies so she and her

she and her family left Rhode Island

with 30 other families they founded the

city of Portsmith in in Rhode Island but

that pregnancy that an was pregnant with

the baby that an was pregnant with

during the trial ended in a still birth

she didn't give birth to a live baby and

that baby that was born as a still birth

was severely deformed winthrip and

cotton began to spread rumors that

number one God was judging her that this

was God's punishment against Anne

Hutchinson for speaking out against them

but number two that she gave birth to

demon children and that was the phrase

that they used they they governor would

give these physical descriptions of of

babies that had um devil likee horns and

Claws and uh any of her followers were

also giving birth to these demon

children Ann eventually gave birth to 15

children overall one died in infancy two

others died in illness when they were

young children but to have this sort of

slander that if you listen to an

Hutchinson you're going to lose your

baby or you're going to give birth to a

demon child it's it's part of that that

undercurrent of how we're going to keep

women in control her husband William

died in 1642 and after his death

ministers from Massachusetts were sent

to Rhode Island to try to get an to

renounce her comments to renounce her

beliefs again they're still trying to

reain her in even though she's no longer

in Massachusetts Bay she refuses and

these leaders from Massachusetts were

saying hey we're about to take over

Rhode Island so you need to renounce

your beliefs and she said no she took

her children her remaining children and

they moved to New Amsterdam what will

later become New York to get away from

kind of the Massachusetts leaders in the

summer of 1643 within a year after they

had moved to New Amsterdam her Town came

under attack by a Native American

warriors and Anne and her children who

were left with her uh were AED to death

they were murdered during this attack

their bodies were burned there was one

surviving child one surviving daughter

of Hutchinson who was out picking

blackberries I think when the attack

happened and she hid she ended up being

discovered and was kidnapped by the

tribe and raised by them for 9 years I

think she was 9 years old at the time

she eventually um returned to Boston

when governor winthrip of Massachusetts

Bay heard about Anne's death he believed

that his prayers had been answered he

saw her death and the the manner of her

death as a just a just cause for which

God was was delivering Justice this was

how it was supposed to happen he said

that an instrument of the devil had been

dealt with justly by this Savage attack

he later wrote about an he called her an

American Jezebel um this this language

that is used to to uh I guess lower the

status of women uh to just sexual

objects or or an instrument of the devil

um an instrument of no

morals she she Di died in a sense for

her beliefs I mean had she not been in

that position in that place she wouldn't

have been killed in that way she was um

on the books as remaining a convicted

criminal until

1987 in 1987 she died in

1643 in 1987 the Massachusetts governor

Michael dakus officially pardoned an Hut

Anne Hutchinson so she was officially

cleared of any wrongdoing but it took

300 years to do it and she remains one

of us history's first and greatest girl

bosses all right more later