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.

The Puritan Idea of Freedom

True freedom "is maintained and exercised in a way of subjection to authority"

-John Winthrop

When I stumbled across this quote in Jim Cullen's The American Dream, I was confused.  Isn't our idea of freedom today to not have to be subjected to authority?  I feel as though the Puritans, although they thought they were free, really weren't free at all by today's standards.  They believed that freedom was defined by giving themselves completely to God, but, with that idea, they lost any other freedom they may have had by giving into the idea that their destiny was preordained. If nothing you do is going to change the outcome of a situation and never could have done so, then you are not free.  You are a game piece with an already decided list of movements.  You have no actual choice.


The Puritans seemed to also be shackled by fear and judgement.   They lived in a constant fear that they might not be going to heaven.  Besides providing a constant state of anxiety, which cannot be healthy, they were forced by their fear to act a certain way, do certain things.  Simply because they were afraid of their destiny, they acted as though they knew what it was.  Their fear gave them no choice.  Therefore, the Puritans had no free will at all.  Even if one wasn't afraid of one's destiny and felt as though they could act how they wished, judgement from their peers would put a stop to that.  In essence, because of their beliefe in a preordained future, and also their fear of it, the Puritans had no free will as it is thought of in today's world.

Ground Truthing

"What I know is this: when one hungers for light it is only because one’s knowledge of the dark is so deep."

-Terry Tempest Williams

Besides thinking that this is just a wonderfully beautiful statement, I can't help but connect it to freedom, with our whole theme in AmCon and such.  I feel like, especially in countries where freedom is a rare concept, that it is almost appreciated more because those who have suffered without it recognize the gift it truly is.  I know that it may be a tad unpatriotic, but I believe quite a few Americans take freedom for granted.  With the recent talk of the Tea Party for example, they are all upset because they think the government is limiting our freedom.  And that may be the case, however, I don't think they really understand what's it's like to be without freedom.  They think they know what they're fighting for, but those rights, although incredibly important, are nothing compared to the people in other parts of the world who have almost no rights at all, the one's who have experienced "the dark," if you will.  One can not fully appreciate something they've always had.