Anne Hutchinson was on trial for heresy. She was accused of holding meetings in her house to teach that salvation comes through God's grace alone, not by good works. Evidence against her consisted of a distorted account of a private conversation she had with several elders. Hutchinson defended herself by bringing witnesses who said the elders misunderstood her. However, the court still sentenced her to banishment, deeming her unfit for their society despite her defense disproving the evidence against her.

1. Sandra Cash <br />Mailbox 108<br />The tone of this document is legal and formal, because it is a trial. The way it is legal is that it is written as a transcription by saying who said what. It is formal in the way the Governor calls Anne Hutchinson Mrs. Hutchinson. <br />Anne Hutchinson is accused of heresy, and excommunicated. She contested the spiritual authority of Puritan patriarchy, and did not agree that good works would get you to heaven. Instead she thought that you were saved by God’s grace, because of this she had meetings in her house to teach this to other people. <br />In the trial the evidence that is used against Anne Hutchinson is a twisted version of a past private conversation she had with Mr. Hugh Peters, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Weld, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Simmes, Mr. Shephard, and Mr. Eliot. They said that Anne Hutchinson said that they, the elders, were not able ministers of the New Testament, and that they had not the seal of the spirit. <br />Anne Hutchinson defends herself by bring Mr. Leveret and Mr. Coggeshall as witnesses, since they were also in the private conversations that she had with the elders. Mr. Leveret and Mr. Coggeshall explain that the elders misunderstood what Anne Hutchinson said to them. She also defended herself by saying that as an elder to the younger generation that she is suppose to teach the younger generation just like the elders of the church. In the end of this legal tone document the court sentenced Anne Hutchinson to be banished from their jurisdiction as being a woman not fit for their society, even though their evidence was twisted and was disproven by Anne Hutchinson’s witnesses. <br />