Vermont Republic
The
Vermont Republic was a
North American independent republic that lasted from
1777 to
1791, when it became the state of
Vermont—the 14th state of the
United States of America.
In
1763, the
Treaty of Paris ended the
French and Indian War, giving the area to the
British. Parts of the region were controlled by the
Province of New York and the
Province of New Hampshire, with overlap due to controversy surrounding the
New Hampshire Grants, and George III's decision to make that part of
New York.
Ethan Allen and his "
Green Mountain Boys" became the militia, and fought against the British, then later against New York and New Hampshire, and on
January 15, 1777 the rebels declared the region independent as the
Republic of New Connecticut, although it was sometimes known colloquially as the
Republic of the Green Mountains. On
July 8 of that same year, the name of the fledgling nation was officially changed to Vermont (from the French for Green Mountains,
les Verts Monts).
The
Constitution of the Vermont Republic was drafted and ratified in 1777, and was the first written national constitution in North America. It was also the first constitution in the new world to outlaw slavery and allow all adult males to vote, regardless of property ownership. During the Vermont Republic, sometimes referred to as "the first republic" a veiled suggestion of future independence, the government issued its own coinage, currency and postage. The general Assembly and Governor's Council adopted the infantry banner of the Green Mountian Boys as the national flag of the nascent republic. The Governor of the Republic, Thomas Chittenden, with consent of his council and the unicameral General Assembly, appointed ambassadors to France, The Netherlands, and to the American government seated in Philadelphia. The Vermont Republic is sometimes referred to as a "reluctant republic" because many early citizens favored political union with the United States. Vermont is the only U.S. state to have exchanged ambassadors with other nations. This tradition has continued, albeit in modified form, in Vermont's current trade and cultural missions to foreign countries. The independent status held until
1791, when Vermont joined the Union, in part as a non-slaveholding counterweight to the slaveholding
Kentucky. The admission of Vermont was supported by the North, the smaller states, and states concerned about the impact of the
sea-to-sea grants held by other states.
Thomas Chittenden served as head of state for Vermont for most of this period, and became its first
U.S. governor.
*
Second Vermont Republic
