“Eureka” is paired with a rarely displayed document of American freedom: the “Flushing Remonstrance”. Displayed in Manhattan for the first time in three decades, the Remonstrance, a petition to the Dutch West India Company, for “liberty of conscience” was signed in 1657 by 31 residents of the town of Flushing — which became part of Queens, New York. While the petition’s eventual success hardly affected government policy at the time, it remains a transformational document in our history. Long before the United States was established, it reinforced the right to petition government and urged for tolerance not just for Christians, but for everyone. The “Flushing Remonstrance” was a unique petition among the American settlements, as it instilled the enduring values of religious freedom and free trade.
Learn more about the Remonstrance at The Flushing Remonstrance Revisited, an online exhibit from the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.
Closing Reception: September 6
Please join the closing reception accompanied by a panel discussion with Brian Tolle, New York State Archivist Tom Ruller and the Consulate General of the Netherlands’ very own Senior Cultural Officer Sophie van Doornmalen. The closing reception will take place on September 6 from 5:30pm-7:30pm, but the exhibition is still accessible and open to the public at Federal Hall until September 8. Space at the closing reception is limited, so be sure to RSVP to rbarnes@nyharborparks.org.