Private Tour of The Flushing Remonstrance at the New York Public Library
April 10th, 2025
On Thursday April 10th, a private tour of The Flushing Remonstrance: “Let Everyone Remain Free” at the New York Public Library’s flagship building was organized for Holland Society Members and Friends. The tour was led by exhibit curator Ian Fowler, Curator of Maps, History and Government Information, The New York Public Library.
In 1657, a bold petition emerged from the small settlement of Vlissingen in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (now Queens, New York). Known as the Flushing Remonstrance, this document challenged the rigid religious policies enforced by Director-General Peter Stuyvesant. Its signers, comprising settlers of various faiths, lobbied for the freedom to worship according to conscience, arguing that divine law—not state edict—should guide personal belief.
An early handwritten copy of the legendary 17th-century document is the centerpiece of a display that tells the story of one community’s stand against intolerance and how it continues to resonate in the struggle for freedom of conscience and expression. Singed during a fire at the New York State Capitol in 1911, this first English copy of the Remonstrance is rarely on public view.
This copy was on loan from the New York State Archives for three days only!
