Historical Perspective | EssayIvy.com

Running head: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 1

Historical Perspective

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 2

Historical Perspective

Introduction

Massachusetts Bay was an English colony in America that was dominated by Puritans. The

colonial administration could not hold any religious diversity and often considered the conflict of

their beliefs as unfathomable(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du, 1997). The people lived under the

instructions of the clergy and blindly followed their teachings without question. However, there

existed many religious misappropriations especially based on the interpretation of the teachings

to fit political interests. This paper will discuss the role of Anne as a pioneer of religious and

social freedom as well as gender equality in the modern American society.

Summary of the Massachusetts Bay Event

Anne Hutchinson was an England religious leader who lived between 1591and 1643 who

migrated to live in Massachusetts Bay in 1634 in the quest to gain religious

education(Knappman, Christianson, & Paddock, 2002). Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams

are among the rational thinkers who happened to reside in the colony at the time and such people

often resulted in a conflict wherever they spoke their minds(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du,

1997). Anne was very religious and had a broad comprehension of the biblical teachings.

Whereas the Massachusetts enforces a “proper behavior” on the population, Anne thought that

salvation was rather a predetermined fate than dependent on one’s behavior. Her teachings

contradicted the teachings of the church attracting the attention of the authorities.

Consequently, the church was losing popularity and authority in the social setting. The power of

ministers in the church was stripped because the people started having divided loyalty to the

church and its teachings(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du, 1997). She was gaining popularity

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 3

attracting many people to come and listen to her comments in her parlor and was, therefore,

becoming a threat to the Puritans(Knappman, Christianson, & Paddock, 2002). Among her

teachings was the separation of the church from the state political government to form two

different entities.as a result, she was declared a threat to the Puritan experiment by the clergy.

Also, the religion at the time did not tolerate debating and questioning of religious

teachings(Knappman, Christianson, & Paddock, 2002). The Puritans, furthermore, did not expect

women to decide that they could interpret the Bible on their own, without the guidance of the

clergy.

On the contrary, she claimed that the Bible gave her, the right to minister, a responsibility that

was only reserved for male Puritan church clergy members(Knappman, Christianson, &

Paddock, 2002). By questioning the power of the clergy and the teachings of the church, and

venturing into the dangerous religious territory of religion in several ways discussed above, Anne

was arrested and charged with heresy(Knappman, Christianson, & Paddock, 2002). John

Winthrop, the governor of the Bay was both the prosecutor and the judge in Anne's trial. She was

not found with solid evidence to prove the charges placed against her because she never held

open meetings. However, she was convicted of traducing the ministers and was excommunicated

from the church (Knappman, Christianson, & Paddock, 2002). Furthermore, she was banished

from Massachusetts Bay and moved to Long Island. She was later assassinated in 1643 during an

Indian raid on the island.

Importance of the Massachusetts Bay Event

Anne Hutchinson was a special woman of her time, having struggles to attain religious and

economic freedom in the new America. Anne changed the way people perceived the Puritan

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 4

religion(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du, 1997). The people in Massachusetts had been meant to

believe that the Puritan colonialists were interested in bringing up a godly society in the colony.

On the contrary, it was oppressing people using the church. The colony had given the clergy the

power to give people instructions and thus had mixed the political environment with the spiritual

matters(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du, 1997). However, Anne, through her weekly meetings in

her parlor with many people gave them another perspective of understanding the Bible better

than they already did, thus enabling them to open their mind and reason. With time, the people

started to understand the Bible better than the clergy explained to them and started to figure out

some of the interests of the colonial government through the church, which was not spiritual.

For instance, the colonial government through the church used the spiritual power of the clergy

to give political instructions to the people whereas the church and government are expected to be

different entities(Frost-Knappman & Cullen-Du, 1997).

Anne also brought out the strength of a woman in the patriarchal society of the time(Stille,

2006). The church perceived women as unable to interpret biblical teachings on their own and

necessitated that they should listen and adhere to the teachings as interpreted by the clergy. On

the contrary, Anne showed a broad understanding of the scripture and even questioned the

teachings of the clergy(Stille, 2006). She theologically analyzed the teachings of the Bible and

came up with her own understanding that was beginning to win many people in Massachusetts

and drawing them from the church. Also, she was a trained nurse and midwife and was smart and

outspoken, characters which encouraged other women and ladies to come speak up in the

society(Stille, 2006). Her effect would be perceived in the society during and after her time when

many women began to defend their rights and take up responsibilities that were initially

considered to be taken by men(Stille, 2006).

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 5

Her theological analysis of the teachings of the church and those of the Bible made enlightened

the people of Massachusetts religiously(Mangal, 2004). She led to the emergence of questions

such as the source of religious authority, the amount of dissent that a religious community should

tolerate. She also raised the concern of political interference in religious matters that was

common in many parts of America(Mangal, 2004). She also brought up a heating argument on

the people who decide the source and limits of religious authority. She, therefore, formed the

basis for the struggle against religious imperialism which was running the society at the time and

which was being used by politicians for political and personal interests as opposed to their

regular religious responsibilities.

Long-Term Effect of Anne Hutchinson

Anne can be considered the pioneer of civil liberty and religious freedom that Americans enjoy

today. She sparked off a struggle that led to the same, which is among the rights and freedoms

documented in the American constitution today. She was the first woman to stand and fearlessly

defend the civil freedom from religious imperialism that had dominated America. As a result,

Americans today enjoy the freedom of worship, irrespective of their gender, denomination, and

religion. She, therefore, formed the basis for the religious diverse society that America is today,

which has many religions that are well accommodated in the constitution(Mangal, 2004). She

also led to the separation of religion from politics that is being enjoyed by Americans today.

Also, Anne Hutchinson formed the basis for the struggle of gender equality in America. She

defended the rights of women based on religious discrimination. She openly proved that what

men can do in the society when she declared that she did not need the clergy to interpret the

Bible for her(Buchanan, 2006). Being learned and informed, she is the role model for other

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 6

female right activists that rose in the late seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century.

Through her, the American Society has formed a gender equal society with equal opportunities

for both genders across the population(Buchanan, 2006). Therefore, Anne Hutchinson is an

American national figure that formed the basis for many achievements that Americans enjoy

today.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 7

References

Buchanan, L. (2006). A study of maternal rhetoric: Anne Hutchinson, monsters, and the

antinomian controversy. Rhetoric Review, 25(3), 239-259.

Frost-Knappman, E., & Cullen-Du, P. K. (1997). Women's rights on trial: 101 historic trials

from Anne Hutchinson to the Virginia Military Institute cadets. Detroit: Gale.

Knappman, E. W., Christianson, S. G., & Paddock, L. O. (2002). Great American Trials.

Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group/Thomson Learning.

Mangal, M. (2004). Anne Hutchinson: Religious reformer. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press.

Stille, D. R. (2006). Anne Hutchinson: Puritan protester. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point

Books.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."