Anne Hutchinson, Sectarian Mysticism, and the Puritan Order Article Review
Anne Hutchinson was well known for being an intelligent and powerful religious leader. However, her intellectual abilities in the colonies brought her many challenges and even caused her banishment from Massachusetts Bay. The article analysis the different ways Hutchinson was viewed. She was viewed as a victim of Puritan injustice, a threat to government, and a rebel.
Some people thought that she was banished unfairly and that she just a natural leader who wanted to preach her own opinions and theologies. Others felt sorrow towards her and thought that her leadership power was a way to give her confidence since her husband’s was an inadequate male figure since he was absent most of the time. Her gatherings were successful, her small gatherings of people at home turned into larger ones, including both men and women attending.
On the other hand her success made others think she was deviant. John Winthrop, a believer of Hutchinson’s deviance, was the governor of Massachusetts during the 1600’s. He was criticized for not being able to control the colony causing him to be voted out of office and losing other elections. Winthrop returned to office while Hutchinson was being questioned, he took the opportunity to get involved in order to keep his authority. He believed Hutchinson to be a threat not only to the government but also to men. He felt that Hutchinson was giving ideas to the colonists of freedom of laws and structures, which would ruin his power in government. During this time women were submissive during this time and some men believed women should have no voice. Winthrop was one of these men. During her trail, he not only attacked her gender, but attacked her spiritually. He argued that the fact that she was a woman and didn’t have any children made her an unwomanly, disgusting women.
Furthermore, others thought of Hutchinson as a rebel. They considered her to be a