n, and children, starting the Three-Year War. (D. Crawford, p. 137.) This incident was a catalyst to the ensuing struggle of New Englanders to break away from the confines of Puritanism. Due to Anne's huge advancement of religious liberty, it is often overlooked that she was principally persecuted at the time for being a woman with differing views. In some ways it is fortunate that she was treated so harshly by the Puritans. It made the Puritan tyranny in Massachusetts undeniable to many who had simply been living in compliance with the established codes, never questioning or investigating them. It was one factor in the many following movements for freedom of speech, contributing to the separation of church and state of today.C. Holliday analyzes Anne Hutchinson's impact on American history in this way:Anne Hutchinson's efforts, according to some viewpoints, may have been a failure, but they revealed in unmistakable manner the emotional starvation of Puritan womanhood. Women, saddened by their hardships, depressed by their religion, denied an open love for beauty...flocked with eagerness to hear this feminine radical...a very little listening seems to have convinced them that this woman understood the female heart far better than did John Cotton of any other male pastor of the settlements. (C. Holliday, pps. 45-46.)This theory contends that the reason Anne Hutchinson was such a threat was that she was uniting an increasing number of women to learn more about themselves and make religion meaningful in their lives. A God of love and mercy was much more appealing to them than one who condemns all sinners but the chosen few. She understood what they were going through and could comfort them like no man could from behind his pulpit on Sundays. The Puritan leaders probably saw what strong force the women could be and how they could elevate their position if they were allowed to unite. So, they stopped the movement the best way they knew how b...
