On March 4, 1791, Vermont officially joined the United States as the 14th state, breaking the spell of "the original thirteen" for the very first time. The mountainous patch of land between New York and New Hampshire had been doing its own thing for fourteen years. After the Revolutionary War kicked off, Vermonters declared themselves an independent republic in 1777, complete with their own coins, postal service, and constitution - the first one anywhere to ban adult slavery and guarantee voting rights to men without property.
New York and New Hampshire had both claimed the territory, leading to years of squabbles and even armed standoffs led by Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. Once the bickering finally settled, Vermont paid New York $30,000 to drop its claim and was welcomed into the new nation. Congress timed it carefully: Vermont came in as a free state, and Kentucky followed the next year as a slave state, keeping a political balance that would shape America for decades.
Today Vermont is famous for maple syrup, fall leaves that turn the hills orange and red, Ben & Jerry's ice cream invented in Burlington, and snowy ski mountains. It's the second-smallest state by population, but it pioneered things like the first ski tow in America in 1934. Every time another state joined the country after 1791 - and 36 more did - they followed the path Vermont blazed when it became the brand-new fourteenth star on the flag.
