An Evaluation Of The Trial Of Anne Hutchinson

You and I are very lucky we live in the twentieth century. There are not as many irrational yet accepted laws, beliefs and norms that stifle our creativity and autonomy. You could be a vegetarian and no one will condemn you for not eating meat. You could wear unconventional clothing if you want to and just let people stare at eccentricity. You have the right to choose to be part of a religion or otherwise. Yes, our ways of life today are different from what people practiced in the sixteenth century. Even freedom of speech is encouraged among young people nowadays when in those days, adolescents were hardly allowed to speak what was on their mind. Not only adolescents but also women were regarded as inferior and not privileged to express their opinions. They were considered unfit for something as important as freedom of speech especially when the topic was religion. Religion was not something anyone could talk about freely. It is not to be questioned at all. A victim of this absurd century was Anne Hutchinson. She expressed her opinions about her religious beliefs without reservations and unfortunately, faced a regrettable punishment in the end. Anne Hutchinson overtly portrayed nonconformity in the society she was part of in terms of her religious beliefs, practices and most importantly, gender, which eventually led to an unjust trial and verdict.

From the beginning to the end of her trial, Hutchinson believed she was not guilty. "I am called here to answer before you but I hear no things laid to my charge," says Anne at the beginning of the trial. The jury was frustrated with her words but they continued to present evidence they believed was enough to convict Anne. One of their evidences was that she was blasphemous. In her words, "He hath let me see which was the clear ministry and which the wrong. Since that time I confess I have been more choice and he hath left me to distinguish between the voice of my beloved and the voice of Moses, the voice of John the Baptist and the voice of antichrist, for all those voices are spoken of in scripture" (Hutchinson 63). She continues on by saying that an immediate voice has spoken to her the same manner a voice spoke to Abraham (Hutchinson 63). These events in the trial contributed to the jury's resentment towards Anne. They clearly thought she was very arrogant that she claims God has actually spoken to her. With their belief that Anne was an unauthorized and unfit preacher of God, they questioned why God would even show Himself to her and not to them, who were authorized preachers. At this point time, the jury was convinced that Anne was deluded for claiming the things she claims. Also, the fact that Anne, according to the ministers, claim that they were unfit to preach the New Testament added to their drive to banish her. In the end, Anne was found guilty and was banished from the Puritan colony.

"Why do you keep such a meeting at your house as you do every week upon a set day?" asked one of the jurors. She defends herself saying that she is not the first to do this and continues by saying that as a woman, she must teach and instruct younger women. Then, the jury brings up the fact that she allows both men and women to be at her house at the same time, which during those times was very inappropriate. Anne Hutchinson was not really being tried because she held Sunday meetings and had men and women inside her house simultaneously. She was being tried because the Puritan ministers felt threatened by her popularity. Many people followed her and continued attending the meetings she held. Terrified by the possibility of Anne gaining power, the ministers decided to stop her growing