ch 2 - The Threat of Anne Hutchinson

How did Anne Hutchinson die?

She died during an attack by Native Americans

King Charles

- wanted to restore the ceremonialism in the church which struck Puritans as even more dangerous than arminianism

Did Puritans believe in freedom of religion?

- no - they believed that the entire community had to follow God's laws as interpreted by Puritan leaders - you had to have a public conversion experience

Why was Calvinist Protestantism "fuzzy"?

- there were certain things you could do to get in "God's way" (reading scripture, being pious, etc) - Anne H. says the fuzziness is a covenant of works

What was the role of women in Puritan communities?

- they could become confirmed saints in their churches - they had no separate economic or political identity - they were forbidden from speaking at public gatherings that men attended - they didn't have a right to custody of their children should a divorce occur

role of midwives

- valued position in the community - caring for pregnant women and delivering infants

John Wheelwright

- Anne Hutchinson's brother-in-law - had begun to espouse an extreme version of the covenant of grace and didn't want to follow gov't laws because only listened the commands from God

Puritan ministers' drift toward Arminianism in the New World

- by the summer of 1636, MA Bay was embroiled in a controversy where some Puritans (including John Wheelwright) had begun to espouse an extreme version of the covenant of grace - the antinomians threatened to overthrow the authority of the ministers and gov't because they only "took commands from God"

What was the outcome of Anne Hutchinson's trial?

- deemed a heretic - she had to either be cleansed or excommunicated

John Cotton

- fled to MA Bay - had acquired a reputation for preaching and supported covenant of grace (antinomianism) - greatly influenced Anne Hutchinson - distanced himself from Anne after the trial

What was Anne Hutchinson's fate?

- had been deemed a heretic, so she needed to be either cleansed of her sins, or excommunicated from the community of the saints - killed in an Indian raid

What were the changes in the Puritan community after the 1630s?

- new migrants came in, bringing different ideas and building new towns - religious conformity became more and more difficult to enforce

What were the 3 reasons why Anne H was tried?

1. RELIGIOUS THREAT - had religious meetings in her home 2. THREAT TO SOCIAL ORDER - begins to question civil/religious authorities (accused ministers of preaching a covenant of works) 3. GENDER THREAT - she's a woman (held meetings with both men and women and women weren't supposed to have political or economic freedom)

What are 7 characteristics of the Jamestown colonists?

1. economic motivations 2. tended to be aristocrats (rich young men) 3. found themselves in contact with a large Native American population --> hostile relationship 4. at first, not interest in long-term settlements (get in, get the gold, get out) 5. only survived because constant supplies coming from England (fragile colony) 6. discovery of tobacco helped the colony survive 7. as the economy grew, they turned to slave labor and indentured servants

What quintessential American characteristic are tied to the Puritans?

1. hard work ethic 2. emphasis on equality and democratic republicanism 3. value on literacy and education (women and men)

What are 2 elements of calvinist protestantism?

1. heavy emphasis on God sovereignty (God is in control and has a plan) 2. salvation is a matter of God's grace (it's God's choice to save you...you don't have a choice)

What are 4 characteristics of the Puritans?

1. practice religious freedom (not religious tolerance) 2. interested in permanent colonies (more from the middle class, including families; lots of ministers) 3. committed to hard work and making a living 4. tolerate slavery, but doesn't become dependent on slavery for their success

How was Anne Hutchinson a threat to religious, social, and gender order?

1. religious: claiming Puritan ministers preaching a covenant of works; claiming she experienced a revelation from God 2. social: questioned authority and the structure of society which is threatening to the current authority figures 3. gender: men were supposed to lead, not women

What was the "Great Migration" of the 1630s?

14,000 Puritans moving to the New World, principally to New England, to practice what they believed was "true" Christianity, purified of the corruptions they saw running amuck in the Church of England

puritans

English Protestant migrants who came to colonial New England - believed that the Protestant Reformation had not gone far enough in their country...too many Roman Catholic influences remained, like "popery"

Where were the Puritans located?

New England --> Boston

Do historians like the puritans or Jamestown colonists better?

Puritans

Antinomianism

an extreme version of the covenant of grace - rejects laws of the church and state because God's grace is guiding us

What religion do Puritans practice?

calvinist protestants - not tolerant of other religions - talk about forming a "city on a hill" ,<-- convert by example - lived in a covenant community - if one person screws up, God will punish the whole group, so the group watches each other carefully

dissent

disagreement between covenant of works vs grace

Arminianism

individuals, through their own will and works, could achieve salvation (Church of England/Roman Catholicism)

Jeremiads

sermons predicting disasters because of declining religious zeal that were especially popular in the 1660s - offered one example of the pattern tensions of drifting toward Arminianism vs reasserting Calvinism

relationship between church and government during the Puritan era

very connected ???

What was the main disagreement between Puritans and Arminianism?

whether or not God alone decided who was saved and who was damned