In 1637, Anne Hutchinson, a forty-six-year-old midwife who was pregnant with her sixteenth child, stood before forty male judges of the Massachusetts General Court, charged with heresy and sedition. In a time when women could not vote, hold public office, or teach outside the home, the charismatic Hutchinson wielded remarkable political power. Her unconventional ideas had attracted a following of … of prominent citizens eager for social reform. Hutchinson defended herself brilliantly, but the judges, faced with a perceived threat to public order, banished her for behaving in a manner “not comely for [her] sex.”
Written by one of Hutchinson’s direct descendants, American Jezebel brings both balance and perspective to Hutchinson’s story. It captures this American heroine’s life in all its complexity, presenting her not as a religious fanatic, a cardboard feminist, or a raging crank—as some have portrayed her—but as a flesh-and-blood wife, mother, theologian, and political leader. The book narrates her dramatic expulsion from Massachusetts, after which her judges, still threatened by her challenges, promptly built Harvard College to enforce religious and social orthodoxies—making her the mid-wife to the nation’s first college. In exile, she settled Rhode Island, becoming the only woman ever to co-found an American colony.
The seeds of the American struggle for women’s and human rights can be found in the story of this one woman’s courageous life. American Jezebel illuminates the origins of our modern concepts of religious freedom, equal rights, and free speech, and showcases an extraordinary woman whose achievements are astonishing by the standards of any era.
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Although I hated the name of this book–and I believe that the heroine would also hate it being used to describe her–I found it very interesting. We have very little first hand knowledge of women in our early history in the US. Because Anne Hutchinson went to trial, there is much written about her, although very little written by her. Sometimes …
Deep in the weeds of Puritan theology
A part of our grim history, however important.
I never knew about Anne Hutchinson. Also about the puritan s and other religious groups of that period in history. I commend her for following and standing by her beliefs in following Christ no matter what may happen to her. She left a legacy.
Should have been intetesting material but I could not get into yhis book.
Much too much theological detail for the story to absorb.
It was very informative as to life in the 1600’s. In particular, the power of the church in early day America was much more so than today. Contrasting the role of the church and the interaction with government then with now and thinking about how and why these changes have occurred is a beneficial mental exercise. It is also eye opening to …
I never finished it. Because I got bored with the amount of religious doctrine it intailed.
Being from the State of Rhode Island, American Jezebel was especially interesting to me because it is a historical account of the life of Anne Hutchinson. Hutchinson was one of the original founders of the settlement in Portsmouth, RI. There is a memorial to her in Portsmouth, RI at a location named Founders’ Brook Park which is near the …
A really interestng story. Loved the book. Got fairly bogged down in the trial – could have been written more tightly – but probably it stayed pretty true to the facts.
Difficult to read.
Compelling story, an American original heroine. Some dense theological positions, but fascinating overall.
I loved reading about Anne Hutchinson and just how brave she was!
Too much unneeded information. There was so much information about minor characters that it was boring
Too easy to put down. I never finished it, even though I was and am very interested in Anne Hutchinson.
Wonderfully researched!