More than 100 years before the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, a bold document that has come to be known as the Flushing Remonstrance was issued proclaiming the right to religious freedom in the new colonies.
Historians believe the Remonstrance was the precursor of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and helped set the standard for religious freedom in the United States.
From now until the end of the year, the Flushing Library and the Queensborough Community College’s Holocaust Resource Center will honor this document in an exhibit, the handiwork of Susan Kathryn Hefti, a descendant of two of the Remonstrance signers.
At the time Queens was part of the Dutch Colony of New Netherland under the rule of Peter Stuyvesant, who served as the last Dutch director-general. Stuyvesant played a major role in the development of what would become New York City. But he was also a cruel and intolerant man who banned the practice of all religions outside the Dutch Reformed Church.
In 1653, at a convention of deputies from each village in New Netherland, Stuyvesant made clear how he felt about democracy and religious freedom. “We derive our authority from God and the company,” he said, “not from a few ignorant subjects.”
On Dec. 27, 1657, a group of English citizens repulsed by the persecution of Quakers issued the Flushing Remonstrance, declaring religious freedom in the colony. They did so at their own peril. Four of the 30 men who signed the Remonstrance were arrested by Stuyvesant. Subsequently, John Bowne allowed Quakers to meet in his house and was arrested in 1662 and brought before Stuyvesant. Bowne was banished to Holland. Like the Remonstrance, Bowne’s house in Flushing is a symbol of the fight for religious freedom.
The people of Queens should take great pride in the fact that the seeds of religious freedom in America were first sown here. We applaud the Flushing Library and Queensborough Community College for recognizing the important role the Remonstrance played in the history of America. We urge every school in the borough to make the story of these brave men part of their curriculum.
