...Political Trial Of Anne Hutchinson The article’s thesis focuses on a few things regarding Anne Hutchinson and her political trial; such as, how her trial became as well known as it is today and the overlooked, details of how it happened. Along with that, it shows the state's misuse of trials as an instrument of power to rid itself of rebels whose religious beliefs were threatening the stability of the state; having charged her with disturbing the peace of the commonwealth, slandering ministers, and holding private meetings. It also reflects how and why it was such a positive impact towards religious freedom in America as well as outlining steps towards separation of church and state. The article does a great job at making it clear that...
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... Anne Hutchinson: Ahead of Her Time Although women came to America expecting some of the same liberties and freedoms their men fought and died for both in England and in the new world of America, it was a very long time before they were able to enjoy the rights and freedoms they enjoy today. This is because Puritans who settled in Colonial America created laws and customs relating to women’s roles that were, in some cases, more stringent than those that existed in England at the time. This traditional, patriarchal society was intent on punishing women who did not conform to the prescribed ‘norms’ of the Puritan culture. A well-documented example is women who would not marry again following the death of their husband. Choosing to be a single woman was considered by the Puritans to be disregarding ‘God’s will.’ These women were looked upon suspiciously and this choice heightened the chance that they would be accused of being a witch. Many of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by women today were brought about by women recognized for their courage and their ability to stand up for their gender such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Queen Victoria. However, there were many women involved in these early migrations to the new continent who held many of the same concepts regarding women’s true proper place in society. One of these women was Anne Hutchinson, a woman truly ahead of her time. Biography ...
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...According to Edmund Morgan, the people he decided to be included in his book, American Heroes: Profiles of Men and Women who Shaped Early America, were chosen because “The people I have selected here, whether public heroes or simply my favorites, have surprised me in one way or another.”1 Morgan’s definition of a hero is a person “who [goes] their own way against the grain, regardless of custom, convenience, or habits of deference to authority,” and who has an “ability to say no.”2 According to Morgan, then, Anne Hutchinson is such a person who fits this definition. In 1637, following her trial on charges that she “had broken the Law of God,”3 the court and the Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor, John Winthrop, banished Anne Hutchinson for heresy. She was banished three years after she and her family arrived to join the Massachusetts Puritan colony. Morgan considers Anne Hutchinson a hero because she exhibited courage when she stood up for her beliefs in a court of law, before a panel of...
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...By 1763 Hutchinson was the most influential man in the colony, but he had also become a target for James Otis and Samuel Adams. Hutchinson agreed with Adams and Otis on matters of policy; he did not think that the governor could issue writs of assistance, nor did he think Parliament should pass laws such as the Sugar Act or the stamp tax. In 1764 the assembly had tried to send Hutchinson to England to make its case against the Sugar Act. He believed these were unwise measures, but unlike Adams and Otis, Hutchinson insisted that Parliament had a right to tax the colonists. He would never agree with their assertion that Parliament’s power did not extend beyond England. If that were the case, the colonies must become independent. Neither Otis nor Adams was willing to make the case for independence in the 1760s, but Hutchinson saw where their arguments were going. He wanted to avoid independence and have Massachusetts prosper as part of the British empire. Since Adams and Otis both denied that they were interested in independence, Hutchinson interpreted their almost violent opposition to his ideas and policies as motivated by political self-interest rather than political...
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...The short story begins with the quote, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson). This gives no suggestion that there is imminent danger; however, this annual event held in town square each year is actually a stoning. This is a prime example of situational irony which is defined by Dictionary.com as an “irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected”. This is precisely the case for “The Lottery”, when the townspeople's are all so willingly joining in the center of town for what seems to the audience as a happy and normal occasion. None of the villagers hesitate to thrown a stone, even though this year’s “winner”, Mrs. Hutchinson is a friend, wife and mother. They all seem to be groomed into the idea that the killing of a random citizen is a normal and...
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