Anne Winthrop's First Trial Essay

to Anne’s meetings were frustrated with the way things were going, they were tired of being treated inferior to men.

Anne’s teaching was considered dangerous to the Puritans and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1637, she was brought before the General Court on charges of sedition, they accused her of instilling ideas of rebellion into the minds of the people. There are rumors that Anne may have been pregnant at the time of her first trial, but there is no evidence that can prove or dismiss this rumor. During the trial, Anne was accused of violating the fifth commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother.” Winthrop accused her of defying authority and violating the Puritan rule that women should not be leaders. At the trial, the accusers said her actions were inappropriate considering

She felt that she could no longer fight the Massachusetts Bay Colony and basically lost her will to keep pushing. Anne moved, as quickly as possible, with her children to New York. They moved to a Dutch Settlement on Long Island between a river and an Indian trail. Currently, there was a war going on and her people back in Boston had refused to supply any aid to help fight the Indians in the war. The Indians had an intent on killing all the white settlers invading their land, unfortunately Anne and her whole family, excluding her ten year old daughter who was out picking berries at the time, was murdered. Susanna, the only survivor of the brutal attack was kidnapped but eventually ransomed to her remaining family. It is assumed that a warrior named Wampage, who took Anne’s name after she died was the one who took her life, he called himself “Anne Hoeck” because it was a custom for native Indians to take the name of the most notable person they murdered. Winthrop and Rev. Thomas Weld both wrote letters of Anne’s death, expressing their happiness, believing that her death was a gift and she deserved to die for her