Anne Hutchinson and the American Idea of Freedom

Growing up in America, it’s not uncommon to hear phrases such as “Stand up for what you believe in!” or “Speak your mind!” In fact, sayings such as these have permeated our lives from the day we were born. We have rights. We have freedoms. Our country has been working since it’s beginning to make its entire population equal, a fact we Americans pride ourselves on. But what about before freedoms were an inalienable right for all citizens of this land? Anne Hutchinson lived in a time when people were no allowed to challenge their governments. Yet, she did. She wanted change. She had an idea. She stood up for her beliefs. She was repressed. Anne Hutchinson and her story are an example of why freedom is important in America today.

Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan. She studied scripture, prayed, and went to church. She was just like everyone else. Where Anne had come from, it was a normal practice for those who studied the Bible to gather together outside of the congregation to discuss it more in depth amongst peers. Since this was a practice she was used to, she started to hold such gatherings in her home. Men and women of all classes came to her meetings for the discussion.

Unfortunately, the governor at the time, John Winthrop, felt that his authority was being challenged by Anne. He was in charge, and he didn’t like that she was sharing her ideas with other members of the church because her ideas may not have been exactly like his. So, he did what any authority figure does when those who oppose him have few rights: he put Anne on trial. He attacked her again and again about her beliefs and her teachings. She was apparently guilty of what she didn’t have the right to think. But, despite the odds against her, Anne persevered. In the true American spirit, she stuck to her ideals and to herself. With the government itself attempting to bring her down, Anne Hutchinson held her ground, holding steadfast to what she thought to be true. And she lost. She was cast out, made to leave her home and her people behind.

If the freedoms in place today had been a part of the system then, Anne Hutchinson would never have gone to trial in the first place. She would have had the right to believe things opposing the views of the government, and a right to share those ideas with whomever she chose. Its situations such as Anne’s that the founding fathers wrote the constitution in the first place. It’s because of people such as Anne Hutchinson experiencing a lack of rights that we have them today. It’s because of people who were repressed in the past that we don’t have to be. It’s because everyone has a right to think different things and share their ideas that freedom is so hugely important in America today.