MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
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Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

Event 12 of 100 · 1637–1638

Anne Hutchinson challenges authority

Choose a PDF, read on screen, and try the word game.

← All 100 events

Choose your PDF reading

Grade 2 PDF ↗Short sentences, pictures, and read-and-notice questions.Grade 4 PDF ↗More context, text evidence, and explanatory writing.Grade 8 PDF ↗Source analysis, perspective, and evidence-based comparisons.Words first PDF ↗Supported reading for multilingual learners and students who benefit from more spacing and oral rehearsal.

All four include an image, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a follow-up reading, and teacher guidance. These English PDFs have selectable text; use the reading below for adjustable text and listening tools.

Read on this page

Context image; not a photograph of this event.
Context image; not a photograph of this event.

Words to know

belief
an idea someone accepts as true
authority
the power to make and enforce decisions
disagree
have a different opinion

Anne Hutchinson held meetings about religion. Leaders disagreed with her teachings. A court ordered her to leave Massachusetts Bay in 1637. She left in 1638. Her story raises questions about who could speak.

Talk about the reading

What happened? Point to a detail that supports your answer. What does the picture help you understand? What would you like to investigate next?

Follow-up: A printing press reaches Cambridge

A printing press reached Cambridge in 1638. Printing began there in 1639. Workers used ink and type to make copies of words. The press helped ideas travel. Printing already existed elsewhere in the world.

How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.

Read the follow-up event →

Word match: use the reading

Select a word, then select its meaning. You can use a keyboard or tap. Read the word bank if you need a clue.

Choose a word to begin.

Check the evidence

Research source for this event ↗

See the image credits on this site. Image source and rights ↗

Historical images, later portraits, reconstructions, and modern topic illustrations are identified in their captions. They are different kinds of evidence.

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