Freedom of religion

====Netherlands====
In the [[Union of Utrecht]] (20 January 1579), personal freedom of religion was declared in the struggle between the Northern Netherlands and Spain. The Union of Utrecht was an important step in the establishment of the Dutch Republic (from 1581 to 1795). Under Calvinist leadership, the Netherlands became the most tolerant country in Europe. It granted asylum to persecuted religious minorities, such as the Huguenots, the Dissenters, and the Jews who had been expelled from Spain and Portugal.<ref>Karl Heussi, ''Kompendium der Kirchengeschichte'', 11. Auflage (1956), Tübingen (Germany), pp. 396–397</ref> The establishment of a Jewish community in the Netherlands and New Amsterdam (present-day New York) during the Dutch Republic is an example of religious freedom. When New Amsterdam surrendered to the English in 1664, freedom of religion was guaranteed in the Articles of Capitulation. It benefitted also the Jews who had landed on Manhattan Island in 1654, fleeing Portuguese persecution in Brazil. During the 18th century, other Jewish communities were established at Newport, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, Charleston, Savannah, and Richmond.<ref>Clifton E. Olmstead (1960), ''History of Religion in the United States'', Prentice-Hall, Englewood Ciffs, NJ, p. 124</ref>

Intolerance of dissident forms of Protestantism also continued, as evidenced by the exodus of the Pilgrims, who sought refuge, first in the Netherlands, and ultimately in America, founding [[Plymouth Colony]] in Massachusetts in 1620. [[William Penn]], the founder of Philadelphia, was involved in a case which had a profound effect upon future American laws and those of England. In a classic case of [[jury nullification]], the jury refused to convict William Penn of preaching a Quaker sermon, which was illegal. Even though the jury was imprisoned for their acquittal, they stood by their decision and helped establish the freedom of religion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Krauss|first=Stanton D|date=1999|title=An Inquiry into the Right of Criminal Juries to determine the Law in Colonial America.|url=https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6989&context=jclc|journal=Journal of Criminology Law and Criminology.|volume=89|issue=1|pages=111–214|doi=10.2307/1144220|jstor=1144220}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/96/William-Penn-Criminal-Justice-and-the-Penn-Mead-Trial|title=William Penn, Criminal Justice, and the Penn-Mead Trial|publisher=Quakers In The World|accessdate=April 9, 2022}}</ref>