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Governor John Winthrop expelled Anne Hutchinson from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. There was not too much room for religious disagreement in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Puritans defended their dogma with uncommon fury. Their devotion to principle was God's work; to ignore God's work was unfathomable. When free-thinkers speak their minds in such a society, conflict inevitably results. Such was the case in Massachusetts Bay when Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams spoke their minds. Anne Hutchinson was a deeply religious woman. In her understanding of Biblical law, the ministers of Massachusetts had lost their way. She thought the enforcement of proper behavior from church members conflicted with the doctrine of predestination. She asked simply: "If God has predetermined for me salvation or damnation, how could any behavior of mine change my fate?" Mary Dyer was the first woman executed for her religious beliefs in Massachusetts Bay Colony. This sort of thinking was seen as extremely dangerous. If the public ignored church authority, surely there would be anarchy. The power of the ministers would decrease. Soon over eighty community members were gathering in her parlor to hear her comments on the weekly sermon. Her leadership position as a woman made her seem all the more dangerous to the Puritan order. The clergy felt that Anne Hutchinson was a threat to the entire Puritan experiment. They decided to arrest her for heresy. In her trial she argued intelligently with John Winthrop, but the court found her guilty and banished her from Massachusetts Bay in 1637. Roger Williams was a similar threat. The ideas of religious freedom and fair dealings with the Native Americans resulted in Roger Williams' exile from the Massachusetts colony. This 1936 postage stamp commemorates his founding of Rhode Island. Two ideas got him into big trouble in Massachusetts Bay. First, he preached separation of church and state. He believed in complete religious freedom, so no single church should be supported by tax dollars. Massachusetts Puritans believed they had the one true faith; therefore such talk was intolerable. Second, Williams claimed taking land from the Native Americans without proper payment was unfair.
Massachusetts wasted no time in banishing the minister. In 1636, he purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and founded the colony of Rhode Island. Here there would be complete religious freedom. Dissenters from the English New World came here seeking refuge. Anne Hutchinson herself moved to Rhode Island before her fatal relocation to New York. America has long been a land where people have reserved the right to say, "I disagree." Many early settlers left England in the first place because they disagreed with English practice. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson were two brave souls who reminded everyone at their own great peril of that most sacred right. Governor John Winthrop, on hearing that Anne Hutchinson and most of her children had been killed on Long Island, stated, "Proud Jezebel has at last been cast down." Report broken link Williams & Cotton Report broken link Anne Hutchinson: National Women's Hall of Fame Report broken link Mary Dyer: Life in Puritan Massachusetts Report broken link Roger Williams Biography Report broken link If you like our content, please share it on social media!How did the Puritans influence the Massachusetts Bay Colony quizlet?Puritanism influenced the development of New England by establishing places like the Massachusetts Bay Colony and turning them into theocracies. People who lived under a Puritan belief colony who would challenge the church authority would be exiled.
How did the existing Dutch settlements and institutions influence the development of New York?How did the existing Dutch settlements and institutions influence the development of New York? Large Dutch landowners kept their political and economic power intact. Additionally, New York became very ethnically diverse as many different Europeans and religions were living in New Netherlands.
Which of the following was a primary feature of social relations established in the Spanish colonies?Which of the following was a primary feature of social relations established in the Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere? The emergence of racially mixed populations mingling European settlers, Native Americans, and Africans.
Which of the following was a feature of indentured servitude in 17th century Virginia?(Q005) Which of the following was a feature of indentured servitude in seventeenth-century Virginia? Indentured servants were held in bondage only for a limited period of time.
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