Name:_________________________________________________________ Date:__________ Class:_____
Bell Ringer: Anne Hutchinson
Instructions: Read the background information. Examine the picture. Answer the questions.
Background: Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan, mother of 15, and often challenged the authority figures in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her strong religious convictions were at odds with the established Puritan clergy in
the Boston area, and her popularity and charisma helped create a theological schism that threatened to destroy
the Puritans' religious experimentation in New England. She was eventually put on trial and convicted for her
opposition. Also, she was banished from the colony with many of her supporters.
1. Describe the artist’s portrayal of Anne and the male leadership of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. How
are we supposed to view Anne? How are we supposed to view the leaders? Explain.
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2. Why would it have been difficult for Anne to challenge the authority of a young colony in the New
World?
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3. Why do you think the colonial leaders dealt so drastically with her?
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4. Make a prediction, how did you think this historical occurrence impacted ideas of religious freedom
and views of woman after this era?
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Answers:
1. Describe the artist’s portrayal of Anne and the male leadership of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. How are
we supposed to view Anne? How are we supposed to view the leaders? Explain.
The artist clearly wants Anne portrayed as oppositional; yet, confident. Likewise, the male leadership
seems unsettled by her presence.
2. Why would it have been difficult for Anne to challenge the authority of a young colony in the New World?
She was in a new area, across the entire Atlantic Ocean, and cooperation meant survival. There were no
other places she could go to safely because the English were in the initial phases of developing the
colonies.
3. Why do you think the colonial leaders dealt so drastically with her?
They feared opposition and ruled with an iron fist. Once again, in the new world, cooperation was vital
for survival. Likewise, religious beliefs of the Puritans strongly emphasized male leadership. This in no
way excuses their actions, but it does explain them.
4. Make a prediction, how did you think this historical occurrence impacted ideas of religious freedom and
views of woman after this era?
Anne Hutchinson became a prime example of the growing desire in the colonies for religious freedom and
was later viewed as a vital historical figure in terms of women’s rights and women’s participation in
colonial governments and the future United States following this era.
Copyright, © USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.