North America · Independence and the new republics
Vermont Republic
1777–1791
The Vermont Republic (officially, for most of its life, the "State of Vermont," and briefly "New Connecticut") was an unrecognized independent state in the mountains between New York and New Hampshire. It declared independence on 15 January 1777, arising from a bitter land dispute: settlers holding "New Hampshire Grants" refused to submit to New York's overlapping claims to the same territory.
- Existed
- 1777–1791
- Shown on the map
- 1783–1790
- Peak area
- 28k km²
- Region
- North America
Overview
The Vermont Republic (officially, for most of its life, the "State of Vermont," and briefly "New Connecticut") was an unrecognized independent state in the mountains between New York and New Hampshire. It declared independence on 15 January 1777, arising from a bitter land dispute: settlers holding "New Hampshire Grants" refused to submit to New York's overlapping claims to the same territory. Its leading figures were Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys militia — famous for capturing Fort Ticonderoga from the British (1775) — and Thomas Chittenden, who served as the republic's governor for most of its existence.
History
Vermont's 1777 constitution was strikingly progressive for its time: it was the first in North America to prohibit adult slavery and to grant voting rights to all adult men regardless of property ownership. The republic issued its own coinage (the "Vermont copper"), ran its own postal service, and conducted its own limited diplomacy — even holding secret negotiations with the British in Canada (the "Haldimand Affair") as leverage.
Decline and legacy
Vermont functioned as a de facto independent republic for 14 years because neither the Continental Congress nor the states could resolve the New York claim. The impasse was finally broken when New York relinquished its claim (for a cash payment), and Vermont was admitted to the Union as the 14th state on 4 March 1791 — the first state added after the original thirteen. Its independent republican interlude remains a distinctive point of Vermont pride.
Common questions
- What was the Vermont Republic?
- The Vermont Republic (officially, for most of its life, the "State of Vermont," and briefly "New Connecticut") was an unrecognized independent state in the mountains between New York and New Hampshire. It declared independence on 15 January 1777, arising from a bitter land dispute: settlers holding "New Hampshire Grants" refused to submit to New York's overlapping claims to the same territory.
- When did the Vermont Republic exist?
- The Vermont Republic existed 1777–1791. On this map it is drawn 1783–1790.
- How large was the Vermont Republic?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Vermont Republic covered about 28,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- Who ruled the Vermont Republic?
- Vermont's 1777 constitution was strikingly progressive for its time: it was the first in North America to prohibit adult slavery and to grant voting rights to all adult men regardless of property ownership. The republic issued its own coinage (the "Vermont copper"), ran its own postal service, and conducted its own limited diplomacy — even holding secret negotiations with the British in Canada (the "Haldimand Affair") as leverage.
- How did the Vermont Republic end?
- Vermont functioned as a de facto independent republic for 14 years because neither the Continental Congress nor the states could resolve the New York claim. The impasse was finally broken when New York relinquished its claim (for a cash payment), and Vermont was admitted to the Union as the 14th state on 4 March 1791 — the first state added after the original thirteen.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory, and states that it was written from established reference works with targeted checks on current facts, rather than from a fresh multi-source research pass. It names the English Wikipedia article for each polity and its key figures as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the US National Park Service and the World History Encyclopedia. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Vermont Republic en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Republic
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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