According to the Internet, today is Anne Hutchinson Memorial Day. Maybe,
like me, you vaguely remember her from high school history class. When I looked
her up, I found that her life had many elements of a romance novel.
Born in 1591, the daughter of
a clergyman, Anne received a far better education than most other girls at that
time. She and her husband were followers of a dynamic preacher named John
Cotton, and joined him in emigrating to Boston in search of religious freedom.
There, Anne practiced as a midwife (she had fifteen children herself!), and
spoke about her personal religious understandings. Soon she was hosting weekly
meetings for women at her house, commenting on recent sermons and criticizing
the Puritan clergy. Her views exposed the subordination of women in colonial
Massachusetts. As a result, she was banished for heresy, sedition, and "assuming postures to which only men were entitled."
Anne moved her family to
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1638, where she was welcomed by Roger Williams.
Later, she relocated to the area that later became the Bronx in New York. In August 1643, her
whole household there was massacred during an attack by the native Siwanoy. The only
survivor was her nine-year-old daughter, Susanna, who was taken captive.
What a life in just over
fifty years! What a woman.
Today, Anne is remembered as
someone who helped pave the way for religious freedom in the United States, and
a key figure in the history of women in ministry. A monument at the
Massachusetts State House calls her a "courageous exponent of civil
liberty and religious toleration."
Very cool. Thanks for letting us know.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! I love learning (or relearning) interesting historical facts. Being a MA native, I know I had heard of her but couldn't remember the story. Thanks again for jogging my memory.
ReplyDeleteImpressive!
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