Vermont was the first state admitted to the United States after the original 13 states, joining the Union in 1791.
Vermont entered as the 14th state on March 4, 1791. Before statehood, the region had operated as the independent Vermont Republic for about 14 years. Its leaders had declared independence in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War and maintained their own government, currency, and postal system.
Admission was delayed by a boundary and land-ownership dispute with New York. New York eventually consented to Vermont’s admission after the two sides reached an agreement, including a payment of $30,000 to settle claims involving competing land grants.
Kentucky followed Vermont as the 15th state on June 1, 1792. Although Congress acted on Kentucky’s admission before acting on Vermont’s, Vermont became a state first because its admission date was earlier. Vermont’s entry expanded the Union beyond the original revolutionary states and established the order used in the list of U.S. states.