Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the original thirteen states.
Vermont entered the Union as the fourteenth state on March 4, 1791. Before statehood, it existed as the independent Vermont Republic from 1777 to 1791, issuing its own constitution and operating a separate government.
The area had been claimed by both New York and New Hampshire, producing a long dispute known as the New Hampshire Grants controversy. Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys became prominent defenders of Vermont’s territorial claims, though Vermont’s eventual admission required a settlement with New York.
Vermont’s admission expanded the United States beyond the original states formed from the thirteen colonies. Kentucky followed in 1792, Tennessee in 1796, and Ohio in 1803. Vermont is also notable for having been an independent republic before joining the federal Union.