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The Puritan Movement: Women In The 17th Century

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From the era when Christianity was becoming famous, the only way that females would gain visibility was through activism via religion. During the period when the Puritan movement was splintering, women in England had an even broader opportunity and scope to lead and thus gain a better position to voice their opinions. Even though this was a way of preserving female voices in most historical records, women were still oppressed by the society as they were only allowed to undertake some activities and not criticize leaders in the society. As in many societies during that time, Anne Hutchinson was persecuted with a lot of enthusiasm because of the manner in which their actions intimidated the so called harmony and stability in the existing Puritan society that existed in the 17th …show more content…

For instance, Hutchinson could maintain her leadership position mainly because it was supported by the Bible. However, the men would occasionally quote verses in the Bible to illuminate the weaknesses of women. For example, ministers in the Puritan society would talk about eve who gave Adam the apple. All this is done with an aim of quelling radicalism and the arising of a society where women who were the majority did not ask any question but followed instructions fully. These ideas did not resonate well with Hutchinson, and she always tried to inculcate the knowledge of stability and independence in women. Considering that most of the ministers were against such conversations, Hutchinson was arrested without anyone to protect her or witnesses to speak on her behalf. Hutchinson taught antagonistic messages that negated the lessons taught by the ministers so as to create awareness in people. For example, she said that the Covenant of Grace was indicative of salvation and not the fact that they were supposed to yield into every whim of the

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Religion before the Great Awakening was strictly based on class and social status. Most people in the colonies sat in different seats, and they were divided into sections. It was not until the Great Awakening that these different social groups of people started to mix. Women, for example were treated harsh in the Puritan churches. They were considered as subordinates of men, and they did not have any roles in churches.

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She was a woman and was expected to be submissive and supporting, instead, she was becoming a leader (Cullen-DuPont).Her sermons attracted many people because people weren’t completely free about their religion in Massachusetts. Anne believed in “covenant of grace,”

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They valued piety, courage, and industry. If they lacked piety, the Puritans would have also lacked the faith and trust required for them to believe they could be successful in this New World. Without courage, they might have been too scared to leave England in search of a new land where they wouldn 't have to face persecution for their beliefs. If they had not valued industry, they might not have worked hard enough to survive in the conditions they had to endure on their long journey. Bradford showed appreciation for these values, along with their generosity and fairness towards one another and the Native Americans, as he wrote about the Pilgrims.

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During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

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Although women’s rights were evolving, Anne was still expected to perform the duties of an ideal housewife. Between the years of 1611 and 1612, the concept of women preachers came about. Anne felt very inspired by these women and this spirit had a part in influencing her to be the women she turned out to be. The Hutchinsons were highly influenced by the Puritan beliefs and they became followers of the Puritans, they attended the services of John Cotton in Lincolnshire.

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1692 was a bad time for women in Salem. Most lower class women were accused of witchcraft and killed. A lot of bad things were done to these innocent women, a lot of the time they were tortured to get a confession or to prove she was a witch. Some of these torture methods were inhumane and didn’t really prove anything. They were burned, stretched,crushed, swam; many methods were used and a lot of the time the odds weren’t in the accused’s favor.

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Hutchinson held open meetings for those in the colony who agreed with her and wanted to discuss the prior sermons. She soon became a figure for those with similar religious standpoints. Anne Hutchinson’s mission was to express the idea that “Those who would be saved, were those in whom the Holy Spirit lived; this was signalled by a personal love of Christ and an inner light.” However, the government believed that Hutchinson’s vision would separate the colony and destroy their dream of becoming a “City Upon a Hill”. Hutchinson was willing to take responsibility for the meetings she held and was confident in what she was doing, but she did not give others a chance to take a stand.

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1438 Words | 6 Pages

During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

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Men and women also had different takes on sin. Women were more likely to read their sins as a pact with the devil no matter how severe the sin was whereas men paid close attention to the sin as an individual moment of weakness in which they would be able to return to their relationship with God. Believing that they could turn to the devil themselves, women were more likely to then accept that other women could be equally demonized.

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Anne Hutchinson was too dangerous to remain in the Puritan colony because she opposed a threat to the mission. Straying from the typical role of women, holding house meetings, and claiming to have a spiritual experience are factors that led to Anne becoming a threat. During this time, women did not have the right to authoritative positions and their expectations were to be a good housewife and abide by the rules of the colony. Anne did not obey by this expectation, instead she was accused of violating the fifth amendment by making disrespectful claims of those above her which puts a threat to the colonies “Godly community”. Anne accused the ministers of preaching only The Covenant of Works, which is an accusation that assaulted the heart of the Puritan Beliefs, that faith mattered most.

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By going against what the Puritan leaders in the church believed, she was also going against the “fathers of the common wealth” (253). Tobin continues to explain how Hutchinson went against the normal standards of woman in her time era by standing up against her male leaders and voicing her views. Hutchinson defended herself in such an orderly manner, as she quoted biblical verses in which she indirectly indicated examples of sexism (255). At the point of Anne Hutchinson’s trial the Puritan churches’ main focus in attempting to excommunicate her was to use religion and the laws bound by God to win their case. The Puritan group leaders used metaphors to further justify their argument, such as comparing God to be the father to the select leaders of the church, who then must act as a father to the public (237).

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1094 Words | 5 Pages

More than 80% of Americans have Puritan ancestors who emigrated to Colonial America on the Mayflower, and other ships, in the 1630’s (“Puritanism”). Puritanism had an early start due to strong main beliefs that, when challenged, caused major conflict like the Salem Witch Trials. Puritanism had an extremely rocky beginning, starting with a separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Starting in 1606, a group of villagers in Scrooby, England left the church of England and formed a congregation called the Separatist Church, and the members were called The puritans (“Pilgrims”).

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823 Words | 4 Pages

When I began researching Hutchinson and found out what she stood for, I questioned and couldn't quite understand why what she believed in was persecuted by the Puritans. The article called “Anne Hutchinson - significance, beliefs, banishment - history” stated, “Hutchinson, like Cotton, stressed salvation by God’s grace alone (the Covenant of Grace), and she disavowed the Puritan belief that good works were a sign of God’s grace,” (2009). This quote encapsulates what Hutchinson believed and I feel the same as her. I originally thought the Puritan Doctrine was just like a regular Christian religion, but a little more strict. I never knew that this doctrine didn’t agree with having a personal relationship with God on your own terms.

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Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.

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while feminism is a wide spread concept today, women’s voice were hardly aired in the early centauries of America history. Some of the acts that show how much the patriarchal system worked in America include the sending of women to Virginia in 1622 (Foner 433)This act showed the dominance of men as this decision was made without the consultation of women at all. The Maryland Act Concerning Religion of 1644 also shades light of how society was governed in the early centauries. The Trial of Anne Hutchinson of 1637 became the first act of women rebellion as a few courageous women aimed to break the long history of men dominance and demanded for a few basic right which included the right to education and say over the society that they also lived in (Foner 502). This also included the right to make simple decision as the right clothes for women to wear and how women were allowed to act in

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