The Trial of Ann Hutchinson

The Trial of Ann Hutchinson
Ann Hutchinson together with other people advocated for free grace and opposed the predominant Puritan teachings. In the 1930’s, differences emerged between supporters of status quo and the proponents of religious liberty (Winship, 2005). The struggle between Ann Hutchinson, her allies and the Massachusetts colony led to the prosecution and banishment of many of the allies. Ann Hutchinson believed that the ministers were not proper preachers of the New Testament. Hutchison was a suspect immediately she stepped foot in Massachusetts. The deputy Governor was of the view that she was the reason for the lack of peace in the colony (Thomas Hutchinson 1963). For example, the governor questioned her on why peace had only deteriorated after her arrival.
The convictions of Ann Hutchison were based on her idea of what she believed was the will of God. Her view on the will God was different from that of the ministers in the colony. This is why Governor John Winthrop claimed that she had breached the “fifth commandment” of the Lord by failing to honor her mother and the father (Hutchinson, 1963). Her convictions and beliefs were different from the beliefs of the ministers in Massachusetts colony.
The fact that she entertained people who had divergent beliefs made her breach the fifth commandment according to the governor.
The trial of Hutchinson was an assault on religious freedom and a demonstration of religious intolerance in ancient America. The examination and the delivery of the verdict on Ann Hutchinson is a demonstration of how people with divergent opinions were treated. Her banishment from society for expressing her opinion in the absence of direct evidence linking her to the instability and lack of peace, showed the intolerance of the governor and the colony.
The state and religion were connected. A breach of religious laws also meant a breach of the laws of god. This position comes out clearly when the Ann Hutchinson asks which law she has breached. Governor Winthrop answers that she has breached both the laws of the State and the laws of God (Hutchinson, 1963).
The likes of Hutchinson were opposed to the mainstream doctrines that prevailed in society. This was viewed as a threat to the colony. In 1637 the colony resorted to the arrest the advocates of religious liberty within the colony. Hutchinson was brought before court for trial in November 1937 a few months after the trial and banishment of other members of her team. She was prosecuted by John Winthrop and deputy governor, Thomas Dudley.
She was accused of sedition. The authorities claimed that she had gone against the Puritan doctrines by claiming that God spoke to her directly through revelations. She claimed that God did not speak through the bible or ministers. The idea was different from the position that had been held by the society and the ministers.
The trial of Ann Hutchinson at the Newton court was marked by religious intolerance and a display of gender discrimination in religion. The trial of Ann Hutchinson was prosecuted by Governor John Winthrop who accused her of causing trouble in the colony. The governor accused her of giving opinions that interfered with peace in the colony.
The prosecution did not have evidence to convict her. She had not signed the petition that had been presented. However, she was accused of tolerating the saints whose teachings were different from the Puritan teachings.
Tomas Dudley the deputy governor accused her in the trial for disparaging the ministers within the colony. Dudley claimed that she was responsible for the lack of peace since the colony was peaceful before her arrival.
Throughout the trial, Ann Hutchison maintained her innocence and that she breached no law in entertaining people who were opposed to the Puritan teachings. She was held to guilty of believing in non-existent gods in 1638 and was banished from the colony. She claimed that her association with the saints did not make her a conspirator. It was her conscience that made her associate with the saints.
The issues of gender imbalance come out in the trial of Ann Hutchinson. The trial is reflective of the role that women had in religion. The governor in giving the verdict against Ann Hutchison says that she is not a woman worth being in the colony (Hutchinson, 1963). It is clear that her problems were compounded because she was a woman.
Ann Hutchinson was taken to trial because the polity felt that her ideas were likely affect the social order, change gender roles and challenge the existing ministerial authority. The polity which stood for the status quo did not want any changes. The political class became wary of anything that affected the stability of the colony because the colony had come from a period of war, struggle and civil war. The polity wanted tranquility which the colony had not been able to achieve for a long time. The colony did not want the social change that was being advanced by Ann Hutchinson (Brechner, 2).
Works cited
Michael P. Winship. “The Times and Trials of Anne Hutchinson” 2005. Retrieved from http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/wintim.html
Thomas Hutchinson . The Trial of Ann Hutchinson (1637) Havard University press
Adam Brechner “A Woman Not Fit for Our Society: Social Order, Gender and Authority in Late 17th-Century Boston” Retrieved from https://www2.cortland.edu/dotAsset/123960.pdf