History of Vermont

The geologic history of Vermont begins more than 450 million years ago during the Cambrian and Devonian periods.

Human history of Native American settlement can be divided into the hunter-gatherer Archaic Period, from c. 7000–1000 BC, and the sedentary Woodland Period, from c. 1000 BC to AD 1600. Vermont was admitted to the United States as the fourteenth state in 1791 after a brief period of sovereignty following the American Revolutionary War. Vermont experienced rising abolitionist sentiment and subsequently fought for the side in the American Civil War.

Vermont experienced significant demographic changes from the mid-19th century through 1980. The mid-1800s brought waves of Irish, Scottish, and Italian immigrants who joined the predominantly English and French Canadian population, with many working in Barre's granite industry. European immigration peaked between 1890-1900, with Italian and Scottish women often operating boarding houses to help newcomers integrate.

Early 20th century tensions emerged as Protestant Anglo-Americans worried about rural decline and growing Catholic populations from continued Irish, Italian, and French Canadian immigration. Despite these social tensions, Vermont saw remarkable population growth between 1970-1980, increasing from 444,732 to 511,456 residents - a 15% jump representing the largest growth since the Revolutionary War era.. Vermont established itself as a progressive leader in the 21st century through landmark legislation. It pioneered LGBTQ+ rights by becoming the first state to introduce civil unions in 2000 and the first to voluntarily legalize same-sex marriage in 2009 without court pressure. Vermont also led on cannabis reform, becoming the first state to legalize recreational marijuana through legislative action in 2018, while also being the ninth state to allow medical marijuana use.