Anne Hutchinson was a prominent early settler in Massachusetts and Rhode Island who was an advocate for religious freedom and equality. She held weekly meetings that attracted many followers, both male and female, to discuss the teachings of the local Puritan ministers. This led to her being tried for heresy and banished from the Massachusetts Bay colony. She then helped found the colony of Rhode Island with Roger Williams, but she and many of her followers were later killed in an attack by Native Americans. Today, Hutchinson is remembered as a symbol of religious freedom and liberal thinking.