The "Reluctant Republic"

When asked the question "what US states were formerly their own country", few people would know the answer. There were parts of the US that were parts of other countries' territories, but a couple states were actually their own country, sometimes officially and sometimes unofficially. However, there have been three official entities that became states. Some people would guess Hawaii, which was a kingdom, and Texas, which was for a short time its own country. But what is the third?

Believe it or not, the answer is Vermont. The track of land between New Hampshire and New York had been partially claimed by both states. The great folk hero Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys (most known for the capture of Fort Ticonteroga) fought hard to make Vermont an independent land that was separate from New Hampshire and New York. In 1777, delegates met and declared their independence from English land and the colonies that had been established by the English. When they settled on their borders and declared their independence, they also abolished slavery, making them the first colony or state to do so.

The citizens of Vermont fought alongside the other colonies against the British and even considered themselves to be American. The Continental Congress did not recognize Vermont as anything, so any sort of favoritism from the Congress would have had to have been earned by Vermont. Ethan Allen chose to try to speed up the process by announcing that Vermont should join Quebec, which was at that time under British rule. It was an attempt to bluff the Congress into dealing with Vermont as equals. The ploy failed however.

From 1777 to 1791, Vermont was referred to by many names. Today, historians call it the Vermont Republic, but many jokingly refer to it as the "reluctant republic". This is mainly because most citizens didn't want to be an independent entity and actually wanted to be a part of the Union. While it was a republic, Vermont called itself the "State of Vermont" and it had a governor (as opposed to a President or a king). By notes left by some of the founding fathers, it was clear by 1787 that Vermont would be a state soon, but the problem was the process (since no new states had been admitted and there were only the 13 original colonies to draw from).

In 1791, Vermont entered the United States as the 14th state, which would make it the first state added to the new country after the original 13. Since Vermont had already abolished slavery, it ushered in the admittance of Kentucky (a slave state) a short time later which furthered the balance of slave and free states. The Vermont state constitution of 1793 changed very little from the republic version of 1777. But for 14 years, Vermont was its own republic which may surprise a lot of people.

Bet you didn't know that!