While serving as governor of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant became known for his harsh rule and intolerance of religious dissenters. In 1657, several citizens petitioned Stuyvesant to remove his ban on Quaker worship. Now known as the Flushing Remonstrance—named for the town of Flushing that is today a part of Queens, New York—the petition is considered a precursor to the US Constitution’s provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights. How did Stuyvesant respond?
Source: The Free Dictionary