Ann Hutchinson Case

Thomas Hutchinson was the great-great-grandson of Anne Hutchinson and in 1776 he wrote the History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay. In which he included the transcripts of her trail. This is a primary source of the events that occurred during the trail. It clearly shows the back and forth banters between Anne and Governor Winthrop. You can clearly see the distain that Governor Winthrop has for Anne in the transcripts for this is the woman challenging a male dominated society and their use of religion to control the masses and keep their power. Anne was a very intelligent woman and had a formidable understanding of scripture. She was able to hold her own and truly prove her point against Governor Winthrop although it would not matter. The transcript shows that no matter how right she was in her interpretation of scripture because it did not follow the agenda of Governor Winthrop and his male counterparts they would twist and turn her words against her until they could ultimately get her to incriminate herself of heresy. I believe Thomas Hutchinson to be as worthy as anyone to write about this matter and provide a primary source from the trail. He has a direct relation to the subject Anne Hutchinson and was a governor of Massachusetts and was a Harvard graduate. I see his work as an informative bias free account of the historical events surrounding the trial of Anne Hutchinson.

Thomas Welde was an inquisitor at the trials of Anne Hutchinson during the Antinomian Controversy, and was one of her most vocal opponents. After the Anne Hutchinson trial he wrote his account of the proceedings that was published in London. In his writings you can clearly see his dislike for Anne. He referred to her actions as a way to “vent her mischievous opinions as she pleased, and wreathed the scriptures to her own purpose.” Cleary he had harsh words about Anne, for he was another male trying to keep his position in society safe guarded. He even said that