Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys fought for independence from Great Britain and against New York for control of what is now Vermont. In 1777, they declared independence as New Connecticut, later changing the name to Vermont. Vermont was the first state to abolish adult slavery and is known for maple syrup, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and having the most cows per capita. Two US presidents were born in Vermont.
Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys must have loved to fight. Even as they faced King George III’s troops in an attempt to win America’s independence from Great Britain, they fought another adversary right at home: New York. Before becoming a state, what is now Vermont was just beautiful wooded land disputed between the British colonies of New York and New Hampshire. In 1764, the king decided it should belong to New York, but that didn’t sit well with Allen and many others. Allen formed his gang to take on New York at every opportunity. So to really make the point, delegates from all over the territory met in 1777 and agreed to claim independence for what they decided to call New Connecticut. Obviously, the name was not as successful as the independence struggle, and was soon changed to Vermont, which means “green mountains” in French. For 14 years, from 1777 to 1791, Vermont remained an independent republic until joining the Union as the 14th state. For the record, Vermont was the first state to abolish adult slavery, which it did in its 1777 constitution, but the law didn’t apply universally until Vermont gained statehood.
A view of Vermont:
Vermont is known for its maple syrup, but it’s also the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, which opened in a renovated gas station in Burlington in 1978.
Two US presidents, Chester A. Arthur and Calvin Coolidge, were born in Vermont.
Wisconsin may be the “Dairy State,” but Vermont has the most cows per capita: one for every 3.8 residents.
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