Anne Hutchinson In the seventeenth century, Massachusetts was highly religious with church and state closely intertwined. Puritans came to New England in the 1630s to escape England and the pressures of those who prevented them from pursuing their beliefs. They built Massachusetts not on ideas of religious freedom, but on the premise that they could finally decide which aspects of their faith were acceptable and which were not. Massachusetts law stated that anyone who worshiped a god other than the Lord God, practiced witchcraft, or committed blasphemy would be punishable by death. The mentality of the Massachusetts Puritans did not allow for any religious tolerance or small differences in religious opinions. This school of thought was challenged by people like Rodger Williams, who believed that all citizens should be allowed the freedom to practice the religion of their choice without fear of retaliation from those of different belief systems. Another challenger to the Puritan system, Anne Hutchinson, the daughter of a clergyman, attracted much attention in her efforts to build religious tolerance. Because of her gender and large following, Hutchinson was considered a threat to the Puritan church and its establishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 1634, Anne Hutchinson arrived in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, to follow their minister John Cotton, who had just been expelled from his pulpit in England. Anne, like most Puritans, believed that salvation was not earned and that nothing could ever be done to receive it. Instead, he believed that salvation was a direct gift from God, passed on to the elect. When Cotton began giving sermons, Anne began hosting weekly meetings at her home for those who wanted to further discuss the sermons. As his views began to drift away from those of the colony's ministers, his following also increased. Originally, Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop stated that Anne's meetings were "ordinary discussions...about the things of the Kingdom of God" and that she as an individual was behaving "in the way of uprightness and kindness." However, he began to challenge Massachusetts ministers on the grounds that salvation is not something that can be earned through moral uprightness or church attendance, and he believed that nearly all Massachusetts ministers were guilty of false preaching for separating the "saints ” from the damned on things other than one's own internal state of grace. Hutchinson and his followers became known as "free grace advocates", as they followed John Cotton who emphasized "the inevitability of God's will", or his "free grace". While Anne and free grace advocates continued to challenge the orthodox views held by the colony's ministers, John Wilson, the minister of the First Church of Boston, responded negatively. In his diary, Governor John Winthrop wrote: “A Mrs. Hutchinson, a member of the Boston church, a woman of quick wit and bold spirit, brought with her two dangerous errors: 1. That the person of the Holy Ghost dwells in a justified person. 2. That no sanctification can help us prove our justification.” Beginning with a meeting of ministers in October 1636 and ending with the trial of Anne Hutchinson, the Antinomian controversy lasted 17 months. As the controversy between free grace advocates and ministers' views deepened, Anne Hutchinson and her followers were accused of"..