Question

Why was Anne Hutchinson banished from Massachusetts?

Answer 1

Answer:

Anne Hutchinson was banished from Massachusetts for holding opinions that were believed to be contrary to the Orthodox Puritan religion.

Explanation:

Anne Hutchinson was among the European settlers that arrived to Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 as her and her family followed Reverend John Cotton in order to be part of the Puritan community that was going to settle in Massachusetts. On March 22nd, 1638 Anne was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony after she was sent to trial for heresy. It all began when she started to hold private prayer meetings that both men and woman could attend together. This act was not well seen by the colony's authorities, and it all went worse when she started to publicly criticize the colony's ministers. She was sent to trial and after being found guilty of heresy, she was expelled from the community and along with her family and some of her followers she relocated first to Rhode Island, and later to New York.

Answer 2

The clergy felt that Anne Hutchinson was a threat to the entire Puritan experiment. They decided to arrest her for heresy. In her trial she argued intelligently with John Winthrop, but the court found her guilty and banished her from Massachusetts Bay in 1637.