Anne Hutchinson, 1591-1642

An illustration of Anne Hutchinson on Trial. Photo credit - Wikipedia

One of the first female religious leaders in colonial Massachusetts, and one of the founders of the Rhode Island Colony.

Anne was born to the Marbury family in 16th-century England. From a young age, she developed a passion for reading and critical thinking, and after marrying and giving birth to more than ten children, she followed her religious leader and took her family to North America.

At the age of 43, Hutchinson settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony – working as a midwife. She then started hosting at her home women from the colonists’ community to Bible reading meetings. The gatherings became popular with both men and women, with up to 80 listeners in an evening.

Her exceptional position as a woman who is leading religious discussions challenged gender roles of the time. She was put on trial for heresy and exiled from the colony. Her husband supported her all the way through. After banishment, the family made a six-day journey and moved to Rhode Island colony with dozens of followers. Hutchinson is known as one of the founders of the Rhode Island Colony.

Today, opinionated and outspoken Anne is honored as an early feminist icon. In 1987, more than three centuries after her banishment, she officially pardoned by the governor of Massachusetts.
 

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“As I understand it, laws, commands, rules, and edicts are for those who have not the light which makes plain the pathway.”

“As I understand it, laws, commands, rules, and edicts are for those who have not the light which makes plain the pathway.”

Fun Facts

  • She later moved to Long Island Sound, where she found her death in the clashes between Dutch settlers and Native Americans.
  • The Hutchinson River in the Southern Westchester County, New York, is named after her.
  • Among her genealogical descendants are United States presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.
  • A statue of Anne Hutchinson, sculptured by Cyrus Dallin, is standing in front of the Massachusetts State House, Boston.
  • Her years of birth and death are not exact; in some places it is written 1595-1643.
  • Discover more about Hutchinson in a guided tour about her in Boston.

Creations By and About Her

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Category: Religion & Ethnic Culture
Tags: Spiritual Leader

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Religion & Ethnic Culture

Eliza Hart Spalding, 1807-1851

A missionary and educator, the first white woman to cross the Continental Divide of the Americas, considered as the founding mother of the state of Idaho.

Eliza Hart Spalding was born in Kensington, CT. When she was 13 years old, she moved with her family to Oneida County, NY, where they had a farm. A mutual friend introduced between Eliza and Henry Harmon Spalding, and they got married when she was 26 years old. Soon after their marriage, the Spaldings joined the Whitman party, who traveled along the Oregon Trail with the purpose of serving as Presbyterian missionaries. They were among the first white settlers to travel across the western plains, and Eliza and Narcissa Whitman were the only two women in the party. The journey through the Rocky Mountains was not easy; it was a long trip that included steamboats, horseback, and wagon train. The Spalding family decided to leave the party and to settle in Lapwei, Idaho, the land of the Nez Perce. They were the first American settlers in the area, and they brought with them a printing press, the first one in the Northwest. Their house was more than a home; it contained a church and a school, where Eliza, who learned the local language, taught both in English and the Nez Perce language. As opposed to her husband, she sought to understand the Nez Perce people and not vice versa. The natives liked her, especially the women who followed her around and watched the “white woman” cooking, cleaning, and caring for her children. In addition to teaching languages, Hart Spalding taught sewing and knitting, and how to make “civilized” clothing. After the Whitman Massacre in 1847 at Waiilatpu, Washington, the Spaldings had to leave their mission. They moved to Oregon City, Oregon, where Eliza was the first teacher at Tualatin Academy, which later became the Pacific University. 60 years after she has passed away, her body was re-interred in the Lapwei Mission Cemetery. Though the mission didn’t succeed as planned, her impact was tremendous. Not only she left behind her two schools, a spinning and weaving shop, and two print-shops, she also paved the way for other women to migrate by land and to settle over the Rocky Mountains.   This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Frances-Xavier-Cabrini-WWP
Religion & Ethnic Culture

Frances Xavier Cabrini, 1850-1917

An Italian-American Roman Catholic nun, the founder of the female religious congregation Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the first US citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Born as Maria Francesca Cabrini in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, to a family of cherry tree farmers, the youngest of the thirteen children, and one of the four to survive past adolescence. She was born two months premature and was a small and weak child who remained fragile as an adult. At 13, she started attending the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, from which, five years later, she graduated with high honors and a teaching certificate. Cabrini applied for admission to the same congregation that runs the school she just graduated from but was turned down due to her health issues. Instead, she was offered a position as a teacher and the headmistress of an orphanage in Codogno. While teaching at the orphanage, Cabrini encouraged other young women to help her, and they established a women’s religious community. At age 27, Cabrini took religious vows and became “mother Cabrini”. She added Xavier to her name to honor Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionary service. Cabrini and six other women founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where she served as the superior general of the institute until her death. The sisters of the congregation took in orphans, and to pay expenses, they opened a day school, taught needlework lessons, and sold their own embroidery. In its first five years, the institute established seven homes, a nursery, and a free school. Frances Xavier Cabrini wanted to establish a mission in China, but when seeking the approval of Pope Leo XIII, he suggested her to go to the US to help the increasing population of Italian immigrants. And so, at the age of 39, Cabrini, along with six other sisters arrived in NYC. At first, they encountered difficulties from the local Archbishop, but they obtained permission to found an orphanage. Cabrini organized catechism and offered classes for the Italian immigrants, and afterward, she opened a school, a hospital, and more orphanages. During the 35 years of living in the US, she founded 67 missionary institutions throughout the country, as well as in Europe, South America, and South Africa. At 59, she was naturalized as a United States citizen. Cabrini died at the age of 67 due to complications of dysentery. Her body was buried at an orphanage she founded in West Park, Ulster County, NY, but it was exhumed as part of the canonization process – her head was removed and is preserved in Rome, her arm is at the national shrine in Chicago, while the rest of the body is at a shrine in New York. 21 years after she passed away, Pope Pius XI beatified her, and on July 7th, 1946, she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and became the first US citizen to be canonized and to be declared as a saint. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants, religious institute, Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará. This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Joan-of-Arc-WWP
Army & Security Forces

Joan of Arc, 1412-1431

A Christian martyr who was a female teenage warrior in the Hundred Years' War between France and England.

Born to a family of peasants in 15th-century Domrémy, France, Joan listened to the voices of saints guiding her to drive the English out of French territories. She followed the calling, an unusual act to her age and gender at these old times, and with determination, she made her way into the French army. At only 17 years old, Joan of Arc led the forces towards victory in the battle for Orleans, followed by more victories. Sadly, after several months on the battlefields, she got captured. She was found guilty of heresy in her trial, and burnt alive in front of thousands of people at the marketplace of Rouen. She was only 19 years old. In 16th century France, she was announced as innocent and became a national heroine. About 500 years later, she was declared and canonized a Roman Catholic Saint by the Pope. Joan d’Arc became a symbol of persistence, determination, fearlessness, and leadership, and due to her gender, she is also a contradiction to the notion of inequality.   Dive deeper into the inspiring story of Joan of Arc with our fun and engaging printable worksheet! Available now on Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. This post is also available in: Español Read more...
Margaret Brent WWP
Politics & Leaders

Margaret Brent, c.1601-1671

A prominent colonial Marylander was the first woman in the American colonies to go to court under Common Law to claim land or defend her interests. Considered a “founding mother” of Maryland and one of North America’s first feminists.

Margaret Brent was born in Gloucestershire, England, one of thirteen children of a wealthy Catholic family. While officially part of the Church of England, the Brents were scrutinized after one of their sisters returned to the Catholic church during the 1630s. Brent, her sister Mary, and two of their brothers decided to immigrate to the New World and settle in Maryland since its land owner Lord Baltimore had declared it a Catholic refuge with a potentially profitable enterprise. On November 22nd, 1638, the four siblings arrived at St. Mary’s City, Maryland, where they were granted lands and political offices due to their noble social class and political affiliations. While one of her brothers returned to England, Brent, then 37 years old and unmarried, and her sister, decided to stay, and on October 4th, 1639, she became the first woman in Maryland to own land. On their 70.5-acre, they established the Sisters’ Freehold; her various business ventures included trading tobacco, and transporting servants, had enlarged the property, and she became one of the most prominent landowners in Maryland. Over time she became an ally of Maryland Governor Leonard Calvert, and the brother Lord Baltimore, the colony’s landowner. In 1645, the impact of the English Civil War spread to Maryland, and Protestants raided the Catholic settlement, burning down structures and terrorizing the settlers, who escaped to Virginia. Governor Calvert recruited mercenaries to stop the raiders but became ill. Before his death, he nominated Brent to use his assets and pay the mercenaries to continue protecting the colony. As there was no official successor to the governor, Brent acted on his behalf, collecting rent and taking care of his financial matters. On January 3rd, 1648, the Provincial Court appointed Brent as attorney-in-fact for Lord Baltimore, who managed the business and advocated for the colony in England. On January 21st, 1648, only a few weeks after receiving the role, she attended the provincial assembly asking for a voice and two votes in the council, one as an independent landowner and one as Lord Baltimore’s attorney but got denied because of her gender. Following disagreements with Lord Baltimore, Brent, and her sister moved to Westmoreland County, Virginia, and established a 1000 acres plantation called “Peace.” She lived there until she died at the age of 70. This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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