"as being a woman not fit for our society." (As quoted in E.D. Baltzell, Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia, p. 136.)John Winthrop, who was at that time the deputy governor, wanted Anne Hutchinson banished even before she was found guilty of anything. Her trial was by no means fair or just. She defended herself very well with her knowledge of scripture to support her positions. She might have been let off with a reprimand except that she blurted out that God had said he would save her from them. Even if she hadn't been banished at that trial, it is most likely she would have continued in her teachings, unsilenced by Puritan threats and been banished at a later trial. John Winthrop was the driving force behind Anne's banishment. He had very strong feelings about the place of women and he had enough power to do something about it when Anne violated them. William Coddington, a secret Quaker at the time, expressed his hope that "this trial will help break through the crust of formalism hardening over religion, and allow the springs of natural piety to well to the surface and refresh the arid theology of these times." (As quoted in D. Crawford, p. 112.) His wish was far from coming true in the rigid environment of New England. The Puritan religion was growing more and more stiff, forcing people to break out if they wanted any mind of their own. This same inflexibility that started with those such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson ultimately led to the downfall and loss of respect for the Puritan church. It may have been permitted for a preacher such as Anne's own John Cotton to be slightly more liberal in his doctrine, but it was an affront to the proper place of women in society coming from a housewife such as Anne Hutchinson.One of the strongest indications of the conviction's biased nature is an entry in John Winthrop's diary referring to her as a woman whose willful ways had made her "go a-whoring from God. She is an American Je...
