Founding1791
Vermont Admitted as 14th State
Vermont was admitted to the Union as the 14th state, the first to join after the original thirteen. Vermont's 1777 constitution was the first in America to explicitly prohibit slavery and the first to grant universal male suffrage without property requirements.
Why It Matters
Vermont's constitutional provisions against slavery and for universal male suffrage were ahead of their time, establishing precedents for the expansion of liberty and democratic participation that other states would eventually follow.