Originally inhabited by Native American tribes, sometime between 1500
and 1600, the Iroquois drove many of the smaller native tribes out of
Vermont, later using the area as a hunting ground and warring with the
remaining Abenaki. The population in 1500 is estimated to be around
10,000 people.
The first European to see Vermont is thought to be Jacques Cartier, in
1535. On July 30, 1609, French explorer Samuel de Champlain claimed the
area of what is now Lake Champlain, giving to the mountains the
appellation of les Verts Monts (the Green Mountains).
France claimed Vermont as part of New France, and erected Fort Sainte
Anne on Isle La Motte in 1666. This was the first European settlement in
Vermont and the site of the first Roman Catholic mass. The first
permanent British settlement was established in 1724 near Brattleboro.
The second British settlement was the 1761 founding of Bennington in the
southwest. eventually prevailed. During the French and Indian War, some
Vermont settlers, including Ethan Allen, joined the colonial militia
assisting the British in attacks on the French.
On January 18, 1777, representatives of the New Hampshire Grants
convened in Westminster and declared the independence of the Vermont
Republic. On June 2, a second convention of 72 delegates met at
Westminster, known as the "Westminster Convention." At this meeting, the
delegates adopted the name "Vermont" to achieve admission into the newly
independent United States as the 14th state. On July 4, the Constitution
of Vermont was drafted at the Windsor Tavern owned by Elijah West, and
was adopted by the delegates on July 8 after four days of debate. This
was among the first written constitutions in North America and was
indisputably the first to abolish the institution of slavery, provide
for universal manhood suffrage and require support of public schools.
The Windsor tavern has been preserved as the Old Constitution House,
administered as a state historic site.
The republic's ability to survive gave it a legitimacy among its
scattered frontier society that would sustain it through fourteen years
of fragile independence before it finally achieved statehood as the 14th
state in the union in 1791.
The first election in which women were allowed to vote was on December
18, 1880, when women were granted limited suffrage and were allowed to
vote in school board elections.
Famous for its scenery, dairy products and maple syrup, Vermont has long
been known for its liberal politics and staunchly independent political
thinking. The state capital is Montpelier, while the largest city is
Burlington
