Anne Hutchinson was the dissenter this time. Her preaching appeared to not hold with the traditional Puritan religious doctrines. The staunch Puritans of New England and the Massachusetts clergy considered her words to be an attack on their rigid moral and legal codes.
Winthrop in, Hutchinson out
After John Winthrop became governor in 1637, Anne Hutchinson was tried by the General Court of Massachusetts on charges that she was basically saying the Puritan religious leaders were wrong. Religious freedom was yet to become a part of early American life. Hutchinson was found guilty. She was excommunicated from the church and banished from the colony.
Coddington and Gorton Follow Hutchinson
Two loyal and important persons followed Hutchinson when she was ousted from Massachusetts. William Coddington was a wealthy merchant who was a stockholder in the Massachusetts Bay Company. The other gentleman was William Gorton. Although Gorton was a man of strong convictions, his primary conviction was that any view or opinion that did not agree with his was absolutely wrong.
Portsmouth Established
These were the strong-willed leaders that marched into the wilderness and founded Portsmouth. But soon dissention was a major player once more when Hutchinson, supported by Gorton, removed Coddington from his judgeship.
Newport Founded
The removed Coddington went on his way and founded Newport in 1639. But dissention continued to dance a merry jig as Hutchinson and Gorton disagreed and parted company. The result was that Gorton, who for many years found no friendly haven in New England, finally established his own domain at Warwick, on the western shore of Narragansett Bay.
Colonial America series continues on July 9, 2006, with:
Previous: More American Distension .
Source:
Carson, Clarence B. A Basic History of the United States, volume 1: The Colonial Experience, 1607-1774. American Textbook Committee, Wadley, Alabama, 1987.
Mary Trotter Kion - Mary Trotter Kion is a published author of both history and fiction. In addition, she has some six hundred articles published on the ...
