Question

How did the actions of Mrs. Hutchinson set the stage for women to break free from religious and male bondage, or did they?

Answer 1

Mrs Hutchinson (1591-1643) was a Puritan spiritual leader in Massachusets during the colonial era. She preached against the male-dominated religious authories. She celebrated reunions to teach Bible episodes at her house, first only with women and then also with men, which challenged the norms established by the old male clergy. She gathered many people to listen to her sermons twice a week.

She also preached that heaven would be reached by those who had workshipped god directly and that behaviour and sins did not have an effect on that.  Her convictions were in disagreement with the Puritan doctrine and soon Puritan leaders put her under surveillance. They believed her ideas were dangerous, that only men could preach, and that her attitude related to sins could even bring chaos to the colony, as perhaps people would refuse to work or start to break religious and colonial rules.

In 1637, Mrs Hutchinson was called to come in front of the General Court. At the end of the process, she was proclamed a heretic and expelled from the colony together with her family. Her supporters were oblied to surrender too. Once she had left, she gave birth and the baby suffered severe deformations, so her detractors took the opportunity to harm her image by spreading the rumour that her baby was a demon, and that it was a punishment from God for her sins.