96-538: Wôlinak is an Abenaki First Nations reserve in the Centre-du-Québec region, Quebec , Canada . An enclave within the city of Bécancour , it was one of the Seven Nations of Canada . The Wôlinak Reserve covers an area of 80.4 hectares. It is located on lots 488, 489, 574, 580 (part), 581 (part), and 582 (part) of the parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour in the seigniory of Bécancour. The reserve
192-587: A child the pitfalls of pride. Vermont Vermont ( / v ər ˈ m ɒ n t / ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States . It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. As of the 2020 U.S. census , the state had a population of 643,503, ranking it
288-550: A convention in Vermont voted 105–4 to petition Congress to become a state in the federal union. Congress acted on February 18, 1791, to admit Vermont to the Union as the 14th state as of March 4, 1791; two weeks earlier on February 4, 1791, Congress had decided to admit Kentucky as the 15th state as of June 1, 1792. Vermont became the first state to enter the Union after the original 13 states. The revised constitution of 1786, which established
384-673: A distribution list of lands set apart according to the 1851 Act, according to which the Indians of Bécancour were allotted an area of 2,000 acres. The distribution list submitted two months earlier was approved by the Governor General in Council on August 9, 1853. On January 27, 1873, the cadastre of the Bécancour seigniory was developed, and lots 488, 489, 574, and 582 of the parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour were mentioned as belonging to
480-435: A farming society that supplemented agriculture with hunting and gathering. Generally the men were the hunters. The women tended the fields and grew the crops. In their fields, they planted the crops in groups of "sisters". The three sisters were grown together: the stalk of corn supported the beans, and squash or pumpkins provided ground cover and reduced weeds. The men would hunt bears, deer, fish, and birds. The Abenaki were
576-561: A greater separation of powers, continued in effect until 1793, two years after Vermont's admission to the Union. Under the Act "To Secure Freedom to All Persons Within This State," slavery was officially outlawed by state law on November 25, 1858, less than three years before the American Civil War . Vermonters provided refuge at several sites for escaped slaves fleeing to Canada, as part of
672-648: A group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War . The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any other U.S. state. It was admitted to the Union in 1791 as the 14th state. The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains , which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on
768-704: A large population. They made war primarily against neighboring Algonquian peoples , including the Abenaki. Muir uses archaeological data to argue that the Iroquois expansion onto Algonquian lands was checked by the Algonquian adoption of agriculture. This enabled them to support their own populations large enough to have sufficient warriors to defend against the threat of Iroquois conquest. In 1614, Thomas Hunt captured 24 Abenaki people, including Squanto (Tisquantum) and took them to Spain, where they were sold into slavery . During
864-496: A means of teaching children behavior. Children were not to be mistreated, and so instead of punishing the child, they would be told a story. One of the stories is of Azban the Raccoon. This is a story about a proud raccoon that challenges a waterfall to a shouting contest. When the waterfall does not respond, Azban dives into the waterfall to try to outshout it; he is swept away because of his pride . This story would be used to show
960-725: A modern economy, while preserving their culture and traditions. For example, since 1960, the Odanak Historical Society has managed the first and one of the largest aboriginal museums in Quebec, a few miles from the Quebec-Montreal axis. Over 5,000 people visit the Abenaki Museum annually. Several Abenaki companies include: in Wôlinak, General Fiberglass Engineering employs a dozen natives, with annual sales exceeding C$ 3 million. Odanak
1056-528: A national postal service. Thomas Chittenden was the Governor in 1778–1789 and in 1790–1791. Because the state of New York continued to assert that Vermont was a part of New York, Vermont could not be admitted to the Union under Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution until the legislature of New York consented. On March 6, 1790, the legislature made its consent contingent upon a negotiated agreement on
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#17328451324621152-576: A patrilineal society, which was common among New England tribes. In this they differed from the six Iroquois tribes to the west in New York, and from many other North American Native tribes who had matrilineal societies. Groups used the consensus method to make important decisions. Storytelling is a major part of Abenaki culture. It is used not only as entertainment but also as a teaching method. The Abenaki view stories as having lives of their own and being aware of how they are used. Stories were used as
1248-539: A sacred Abenaki site. The Abenaki language is closely related to the Panawahpskek (Penobscot) language. Other neighboring Wabanaki tribes, the Pestomuhkati (Passamaquoddy), Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), and Mi'kmaq , and other Eastern Algonquian languages share many linguistic similarities. It has come close to extinction as a spoken language. Tribal members are working to revive the Abenaki language at Odanak (means "in
1344-454: A traditional activity practiced by some tribal members. During the Anglo-French wars, the Abenaki were allies of France, having been displaced from Ndakinna by immigrating English settlers. An anecdote from the period tells the story of a Wolastoqew war chief named Nescambuit (variant spellings include Assacumbuit), who killed more than 140 enemies of King Louis XIV of France and received
1440-582: Is Burlington . Its metropolitan area is also the most populous in the state, with an estimate of 225,562 as of 2020. Although these towns are large enough to be considered cities, they are not incorporated as such. The annual mean temperature for the state is 43 °F (6 °C). Vermont has a humid continental climate , with muddy springs, in general a mild early summer, hot Augusts; it has colorful autumns : Vermont's hills reveal red, orange, and (on sugar maples ) gold foliage as cold weather approaches. Winters are colder at higher elevations. It has
1536-646: Is 89 miles (143 km) at the Canada–U.S. border; the narrowest width is 37 miles (60 km) near the Massachusetts border. The width averages 60.5 miles (97.4 km). The state's geographic center is approximately three miles (4.8 km) east of Roxbury , in Washington County . There are fifteen U.S. federal border crossings between Vermont and Canada . Several mountains have timberlines with delicate year-round alpine ecosystems, including Mount Mansfield ,
1632-848: Is called the Wôlinak Indian Reserve. When the Wampanoag under King Philip ( Metacomet ) fought the English colonists in New England in 1675 in King Philip's War , the Abenaki joined the Wampanoag. For three years they fought along the Maine frontier in the First Abenaki War . The Abenaki pushed back the line of white settlement through devastating raids on scattered farmhouses and small villages. The war
1728-625: Is derived from wôban ("dawn" or "east") and aki ("land") (compare Proto-Algonquian *wa·pan and *axkyi ) — the aboriginal name of the area broadly corresponding to New England and the Maritimes . It is sometimes used to refer to all the Algonquian-speaking peoples of the area—Western Abenaki, Eastern Abenaki, Wolastoqiyik - Passamaquoddy , and Mi'kmaq —as a single group. The Abenaki people also call themselves Alnôbak , meaning "Real People" (c.f., Lenape language : Lenapek ) and by
1824-550: Is now active in transportation and distribution. Notable Abenaki from this area include the documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin ( National Film Board of Canada ). The Penobscot Indian Nation , Passamaquoddy people, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians have been federally recognized as tribes in the United States. Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation , Koasek Abenaki Tribe , Elnu Abenaki Tribe , and
1920-565: Is now northern New England , southern Quebec , and the southern Canadian Maritimes . The Eastern Abenaki population was concentrated in portions of New Brunswick and Maine east of New Hampshire 's White Mountains . The other major group, the Western Abenaki, lived in the Connecticut River valley in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The Missiquoi lived along the eastern shore of Lake Champlain . The Pennacook lived along
2016-643: Is situated alongside the Bécancour River, 20 kilometres southeast of Trois-Rivières. Around 1600, a few Abenaki families and Sokokis families established themselves on the Puante river (name given after a battle with the English colonists against the French colonists) which later, was given the name of Bécancour River from the name of M. de Bécancour, Baron de Portneuf, who was also established there. From 600 inhabitants in
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#17328451324622112-410: Is sometimes credited with coining the name Vermont , but it does not in fact appear until 1777, when, at the suggestion of Thomas Young , it was adopted as the name of the Vermont Republic (replacing New Connecticut , the name the republic had borne for the first six months of its existence). It represents a French translation of Green Mountain(s) . The latter first appears in 1772 in the context of
2208-411: Is the only state that does not have any buildings taller than 124 feet (38 m) . Land comprises 9,250 square miles (24,000 km ) and water comprises 365 square miles (950 km ), making it the 43rd-largest in land area and the 47th in water area. In total area, it is larger than El Salvador and smaller than Haiti . It is the only landlocked state in New England, and it is the easternmost and
2304-514: Is this man and where does he come from?" There is archaeological evidence of indigenous people in what is today New Hampshire for at least 12,000 years. In Reflections in Bullough's Pond , historian Diana Muir argues that the Abenakis' neighbors, pre-contact Iroquois, were an imperialist, expansionist culture whose cultivation of the corn/beans/squash agricultural complex enabled them to support
2400-515: The Jesuit Relations as not cannibals , and as docile, ingenious, temperate in the use of liquor, and not profane. Abenaki lifeways were similar to those of Algonquian-speaking peoples of southern New England. They cultivated food crops and built villages on or near fertile river floodplains. They also hunted game, fished, and gathered wild plants and fungi . Unlike the Haudenosaunee ,
2496-696: The Great Vermont Flood of 1927 , which killed 84 and damaged much of the state's infrastructure, the flood of 1973, which covered many of the state's roads in the southeast, and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, which caused substantial damage throughout the state. In response to the 1927 flood, the federal government funded construction of six flood control dams in the state, run by the Army Corps of Engineers . These extreme rain and flooding events are expected to intensify with climate change . Vermont has ten incorporated cities. The most populous city in Vermont
2592-541: The Green Mountain Boys . The first humans to inhabit what is now Vermont arrived about 11,000 years ago, as the glaciers of the last ice age receded. Small groups of hunter-gatherers followed herds of caribou , elk , and mastodon through the grasslands of the Champlain Valley . At that time much of region was mixed tundra . The oldest human artifacts are 11,000 year old projectile points found along
2688-517: The Iroquois . It was abandoned by 1670. A short-lived settlement existed at Pointe à l'Algonquin, now Windmill Point, Alburgh . A village with a church, saw mill and fifty huts existed at the present site of Swanton . Much of the eastern shore of Lake Champlain was mapped out with seigniories , but settlers were unwilling to populate the area, possibly because of continual warfare and raiding there. The English also made unsuccessful attempts to colonize
2784-589: The Merrimack River in southern New Hampshire. The maritime Abenaki lived around the St. Croix and Wolastoq (Saint John River) Valleys near the boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick . English colonial settlement in New England and frequent violence forced many Abenaki to migrate to Quebec . The Abenaki settled in the Sillery region of Quebec between 1676 and 1680, and subsequently, for about twenty years, lived on
2880-533: The Missisquoi Abenaki Tribe are, as of 2011, all state-recognized tribes in the United States . The Missisquoi Abenaki applied for federal recognition as an Indian tribe in the 1980s but failed to meet four of the seven criteria. The Bureau of Indian Affairs found that less than 1 percent of the Missisquoi's 1,171 members could show descent from an Abenaki ancestor. The bureau's report concluded that
2976-578: The Pennacook . About 3,000 years ago, the Woodland period began. Food was increasingly sourced from domesticated plants, including maize , beans , and squash . Agriculture meant a more sedentary life and larger settlements. Pottery was made from local clay , and tools were made from chert found along the Winooski River . Canoes were used for fishing and travel. The arrival of European explorers in
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3072-475: The Pre-Columbian era of Vermont is from found artifacts. About 750 prehistoric sites are known in Vermont, but few have been excavated by archaeologists , and those on private property benefit from no legal protection. About 20 native toponyms survive in the state, including Lake Bomoseen , Lake Memphremagog , Missisquoi River , Monadnock Mountain , and Winooski . In 1609, Samuel de Champlain led
3168-583: The Republican Party grew, Vermont supported Republican candidates. In 1860, it voted for Abraham Lincoln , giving him the largest margin of victory of any state. During the American Civil War , Vermont sent 33,288 troops into United States service, of which 5,224 (more than 15 percent) died. The northernmost land action of the war was the St. Albans Raid —the robbery of three St. Albans banks, perpetrated in October 1864 by Confederate agents. A posse pursued
3264-555: The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. Sims required " one man, one vote " redistricting in all states. It had found that many state legislatures had not redistricted and were dominated by rural interests, years after the development of densely populated and industrial urban areas. In addition, it found that many states had an upper house based on geographical jurisdictions, such as counties. This gave disproportionate power to rural and lightly populated counties. The court ruled there
3360-678: The Underground Railroad . From the mid-1850s on, some Vermonters became abolitionists , which they had previously worked to contain in the South. Abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens was born in Vermont and later represented a district in Pennsylvania in Congress. He developed as a national leader and later promoted Radical Republican goals after the American Civil War . As the Whig Party declined and
3456-426: The autonym Alnanbal, meaning "men". Historically, ethnologists have classified the Abenaki by geographic groups: Western Abenaki and Eastern Abenaki . Within these groups are the Abenaki bands: Smaller tribes: Smaller tribes: Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy: The homeland of the Abenaki, called Ndakinna (Our Land; alternately written as N'dakinna or N'Dakinna ), previously extended across most of what
3552-490: The second least populated U.S. state . It is the nation's sixth smallest state in area . The state's capital of Montpelier is the least populous U.S. state capital . No other U.S. state has a most populous city with fewer residents than Burlington . Native Americans have inhabited the area for about 12,000 years. The competitive tribes of the Algonquian -speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian -speaking Mohawk were active in
3648-683: The "Wôlinak Indian Reserve." Today, the Wôlinak Reserve is home to the Abenaki First Nation, which has preserved its traditional way of life while embracing modernity. Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki : Wαpánahki ) are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian -speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy . The Eastern Abenaki language
3744-580: The 1600s marked the end of the Woodland period and the beginning of the Abenaki . At that time, there were about 10,000 Indigenous people in what is now Vermont, of whom an estimated 75–90% were killed by European diseases like smallpox . Survivors moved north to New France or assimilated with European settlers. Today, there are no Indian reservations in Vermont. In 2021 , 0.2% of live births in Vermont were to American Indian people. Nearly all information about
3840-550: The Abenaki started to emigrate to Quebec due to conflicts with English colonists and epidemics of new infectious diseases. The governor of New France allocated two seigneuries (large self-administered areas similar to feudal fiefs ). The first, of what was later to become Indian reserves , was on the Saint Francis River and is now known as the Odanak Indian Reserve; the second was founded near Bécancour and
3936-451: The Abenaki were patrilineal . Each man had different hunting territories inherited through his father. Most of the year, Abenaki lived in dispersed bands of extended families. Bands came together during the spring and summer at seasonal villages near rivers, or somewhere along the seacoast for planting and fishing. During the winter, the Abenaki lived in small groups further inland. These villages occasionally had to be fortified, depending on
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4032-605: The Abenakis, with an indicated area of 150.13 acres. On November 17, 1913, the Government of Canada sold a portion of lot 582, parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour, measuring 13.23 acres to the Quebec, Montreal & Southern Railway Company for railway construction purposes. However, the government repurchased the land (portion of lot 582) on January 14, 1946, which had become the Canadian National Railway Company by then, and authorized its payment out of
4128-580: The Band's funds on May 29, 1946. On January 18, 1972, the Government of Canada added the lands repurchased on January 14, 1946, to the territory of the Bécancour Indian Reserve through Order in Council 1972-28. The government also provided for the sale of a portion of lot 582 of the parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour, measuring 5.09 acres, to the Canadian National Railway Company through letters patent on April 28, 1972. On September 19, 1972,
4224-513: The Catholic population of Irish and Italians. Based on the colonial past, some Yankee residents considered the French Canadians to have intermarried too frequently with Native Americans. In 1970, the population of Vermont stood at 444,732. By 1980, it had increased by over 65,000 to 511,456. That change, an increase of 15 percent, was the largest increase in Vermont's population since the days of
4320-468: The Confederate raiders into Canada and captured several, before having to turn them over to Canadian officials. Canada reimbursed the banks, released, and later re-arrested some of the perpetrators. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Vermont industries attracted numerous Irish , Scottish , and Italian immigrants , adding to its residents of mostly English and some French Canadian ancestry. Many of
4416-657: The Dawn Land" in the Abenaki language . While the two terms are often confused, the Abenaki are one of several tribes in the Wabanaki Confederacy . Alternate spellings include: Abnaki , Abinaki , Alnôbak , Abanakee , Abanaki , Abanaqui , Abanaquois , Abenaka , Abenake , Abenaki , Abenakias , Abenakiss , Abenakkis , Abenaque , Abenaqui , Abenaquioict , Abenaquiois , Abenaquioue , Abenati , Abeneaguis , Abenequa , Abenkai , Abenquois , Abernaqui , Abnaqui , Abnaquies , Abnaquois , Abnaquotii , Abasque , Abnekais , Abneki , Abonakies , Abonnekee . Wôbanakiak
4512-546: The European colonization of North America, the land occupied by the Abenaki was in the area between the new colonies of England in Massachusetts and the French in Quebec. Since no party agreed to territorial boundaries, there was regular conflict among them. The Abenaki were traditionally allied with the French; during the reign of Louis XIV , Chief Assacumbuit was designated a member of the French nobility for his service. Around 1669,
4608-407: The Government of Canada purchased a portion of lots 580 and 581 of the parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour from the Canadian National Railway Company, with an area mentioned as 27.71 acres. The lands purchased were added to the territory of the Bécancour Indian Reserve through Order in Council 1973-2946 on October 4, 1973. On June 30, 1983, the Bécancour Indian Reserve changed its name to
4704-533: The Koos Abenaki Nation . In 2016, the state governor proclaimed Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day. Vermont has no federally recognized tribes . Vermont approved women's suffrage decades before it became part of the national constitution. Women were first allowed to vote in the elections of December 18, 1880, when they were granted limited suffrage . They were first allowed to vote in town elections, and later in state legislative races. In 1931, Vermont
4800-493: The Massachusetts militia tried to seize Rale, the Abenaki raided the settlements at Brunswick , Arrowsick , and Merry-Meeting Bay . The Massachusetts government then declared war and bloody battles were fought at Norridgewock (1724), where Rale was killed, and at a daylong battle at the Indian village near present-day Fryeburg, Maine , on the upper Saco River (1725). Peace conferences at Boston and Casco Bay brought an end to
4896-615: The Missisquoi Abenaki membership has Abenaki ancestry, with the rest of the organization's root ancestors being primarily French Canadian and migrating to Vermont in the mid-19th century. The Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi's shifting claims about its root ancestors as well as loose membership criteria are consistent with race-shifting patterns. Leroux's research prompted renewed calls by the Abenaki First Nations to reassess Vermont's state recognition process. New Hampshire does not recognize any Abenaki tribes. It has no federally recognized tribes or state-recognized tribes; however, it established
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#17328451324624992-496: The New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs in 2010. The various Cowasuck , Abenaki and other Native and heritage groups are represented to the Commission. In 2021, a bill was introduced to the New Hampshire legislature to allow New Hampshire communities to rename locations in the Abenaki language. This bill did not pass. There are a dozen variations of the name "Abenaki", such as Abenaquiois, Abakivis, Quabenakionek, Wabenakies and others. The Abenaki were described in
5088-426: The New Yorkers, and went on, with Benedict Arnold , to fight in the American Revolutionary War , where they captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British. On January 15, 1777, representatives of the New Hampshire Grants declared the independence of Vermont . For the first six months of its existence, it was called the Republic of New Connecticut. On June 2, 1777, a second convention of 72 delegates met and adopted
5184-423: The Odanak and Wolinak Abenaki First Nations in Quebec initially believed claims from residents of Vermont who said they were Abenaki, the Odanak reversed their position in 2003, calling on the groups in Vermont to provide them with genealogical evidence of Indigenous ancestry. Scholars have not been able to find credible evidence of the Vermont Abenaki's claims of Indigenous ancestry. Anthropological research from
5280-415: The Revolutionary War. In 2002, the State of Vermont incorrectly reported that the Abenaki people had migrated north to Quebec by the end of the 17th century; however, in 2011, the State of Vermont designated the Elnu Abenaki Tribe and the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation as state-recognized tribes ; in 2012 it recognized the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi and the Koasek Traditional Band of
5376-440: The State of Vermont reported that the Abenaki people have not had a "continuous presence" in the state and had migrated north to Quebec by the end of the 17th century. Facing annihilation, many Abenaki had begun emigrating to Canada, then under French control, around 1669. The Abenaki Nation, based in Quebec, claim that those self-identifying as Abenaki in Vermont are settlers making false claims to Indigenous ancestry. While
5472-400: The United States. There are about 3,200 Abenaki living in Vermont and New Hampshire, without reservations, chiefly around Lake Champlain . The remaining Abenaki people live in multi-racial towns and cities across Canada and the US, mainly in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and northern New England. In December 2012, the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation created a tribal forest in
5568-413: The Wôlinak Reserve dates back to April 30, 1708, when Pierre Robineau donated a part of the Bécancour seigniory to the Abenakis. The overall area of land allotted to the different tribes residing in Lower Canada would not be more than 230,000 acres, as authorized by the 14-15 Victoria, chapter 106 (Statutes of Canada) on August 30, 1851. On June 8, 1853, John Rolph, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, proposed
5664-473: The age of 21 and females at 18 . It provided for universal adult male suffrage and established a public school system. The Battle of Bennington was fought on August 16, 1777. A combined American force under General John Stark , attacked the Hessian column at Hoosick, New York , just across the border from Bennington. It killed or captured virtually the entire Hessian detachment. General John Burgoyne never recovered from this loss and eventually surrendered
5760-403: The alliances and enemies of other tribes or of Europeans near the village. Abenaki villages were quite small with an average number of 100 residents. Most Abenaki crafted dome-shaped, bark-covered wigwams for housing, though a few preferred oval-shaped longhouses . During the winter, the Abenaki lined the inside of their conical wigwams with bear and deer skins for warmth. The Abenaki were
5856-427: The area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of New France . Conflict arose when the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast; France was defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War , ceding its territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain. Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies disputed
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#17328451324625952-400: The area in the 1600s. In 1724, they built Fort Dummer near what is now Brattleboro , but it remained a small and isolated outpost, often under attack by the Abenaki. With the 1763 Treaty of Paris , France ceded its claims east of the Mississippi River to the Kingdom of Great Britain , making the area more attractive to settlement. At the same time, New England was overcrowded; new land
6048-444: The banks of the Chaudière River near the falls, before settling in Odanak and Wôlinak in the early eighteenth century. In those days, the Abenaki practiced a subsistence economy based on hunting, fishing, trapping, berry picking and on growing corn, beans, squash, potatoes and tobacco. They also produced baskets, made of ash and sweet grass, for picking wild berries, and boiled maple sap to make syrup. Basket weaving remains
6144-460: The beginning, their numbers diminished after wars and epidemics. The Wôlinak Reserve is a First Nations reserve in Quebec, Canada, that covers an area of 80.4 hectares. It is located on lots 488, 489, 574, 580 (part), 581 (part), and 582 (part) of the parish of Notre Dame de la Nativité de Bécancour in the seigniory of Bécancour. The reserve is situated alongside the Bécancour River, 20 kilometres southeast of Trois-Rivières. The land title history of
6240-413: The best land was kept by Wentworth for later resale. Settlers came from across New England, and were obliged to "Plant and Cultivate Five Acres of Land" within five years. Some settlers kept to the agreement and started farms. Others, like Ethan Allen , did not. They wanted to sell the land for profit. Those who purchased New Hampshire Grants ran into disagreements with New York, which began selling off
6336-447: The eastern shore of the saltwater Champlain Sea . This time is known as the Paleo-Indian period. By about 8,000 years ago, the Champlain Sea had become the freshwater Lake Champlain and the climate was more temperate , bringing increased diversity of flora and fauna. This was the beginning of the Archaic period . By about 4,300 years ago, the forests were as they are today. Large mammals underwent extinction or migrated north, and
6432-411: The extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River , encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers. Ultimately,
6528-409: The first European expedition to Lake Champlain . He named the lake after himself and made the first known map of the area. The land that is now Vermont remained part of New France until 1763. The French had a military presence around Lake Champlain, since it was an important waterway, but they did very little colonization. In 1666, they built Fort Sainte Anne on Isle La Motte to defend Canada from
6624-423: The first half of the 20th century indicates that no Abenaki community actively existed in Vermont during that time period. Researcher Darryl Leroux characterizes the Vermont Abenaki's claims of Abenaki ancestry as " race-shifting ", arguing that genealogical and archival evidence shows that most members of the state-recognized tribes are descended from white French Canadians . Leroux found that only 2.2 percent of
6720-399: The first state to legalize cannabis for recreational use by legislative action, and the ninth state in the United States to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. This law was signed by Republican Governor Phil Scott . Vermont is located in the New England region of the northeastern United States and comprises 9,614 square miles (24,900 km ), making it the 45th-largest state. It
6816-459: The highest mountain in the state; Killington Peak , the second-highest; Camel's Hump , the state's third-highest; and Mount Abraham , the fifth-highest peak. Areas in Vermont administered by the National Park Service include the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (in Woodstock ) and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail . The topography and climate make sections of Vermont subject to large-scale flooding . Incidents include
6912-502: The human population became reliant on smaller game and plants. People developed fishing equipment and stone cookware, and practiced woodworking and food storage. They had time for travel, leisure, and performed elaborate ceremonies. Most of the state's territory was occupied by the Abenaki , south-western parts were inhabited by the Mohicans and south-eastern borderlands by the Pocumtuc and
7008-574: The immigrants migrated to Barre , where many worked as stonecutters of granite , for which there was a national market. Vermont granite was used in major public buildings throughout the United States. In this period, many Italian and Scottish women operated boarding houses to support their families. Such facilities helped absorb new residents and taught them the new culture; European immigrants peaked in number between 1890 and 1900. Typically immigrants boarded with people of their own language and ethnicity, but sometimes they boarded with others. Gradually,
7104-596: The name "Vermont". This was on the advice of Thomas Young , a mentor of Ethan Allen. He advised them on how to achieve admission into the newly independent United States of America as the 14th state. On July 4, they completed the drafting of the first Constitution of Vermont (in effect from 1777 to 1786) at the Windsor Tavern , and adopted it on July 8. This was the first written constitution in North America to ban adult slavery , stating that male slaves become free at
7200-414: The new immigrants assimilated into the state. Times of tension aroused divisions. In the early 20th century, some Vermonters were alarmed about the decline of rural areas; people left farming to move to cities and others seemed unable to fit within society. In addition, there was a wave of immigration by French Canadians, and Protestant Anglo-Americans feared being overtaken by the new immigrants, who added to
7296-546: The other near Bécancour (now known as Wôlinak ) on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River , directly across the river from Trois-Rivières . These two Abenaki reserves continue to grow and develop. Since the year 2000, the total Abenaki population (on and off reserve) has doubled to 2,101 members in 2011. Approximately 400 Abenaki reside on these two reserves, which cover a total area of less than 7 km (2.7 sq mi). The unrecognized majority are off-reserve members, living in various cities and towns across Canada and
7392-432: The petitioner is "a collection of individuals of claimed but mostly undemonstrated Indian ancestry with little or no social or historical connection with each other before the early 1970s." State recognition allows applicants to seek certain scholarship funds reserved for American Indians and to for members to market artwork as American Indian or Native American-made under the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act . In 2002,
7488-506: The precise boundary between the two states. When commissioners from New York and Vermont met to decide on the boundary, Vermont's negotiators insisted on also settling the property ownership disputes with New Yorkers, rather than leaving that decision to a federal court. The negotiations were successfully concluded in October 1790 with an agreement that Vermont would pay $ 30,000 to New York to be distributed among New Yorkers who claimed land in Vermont under New York land patents. In January 1791,
7584-571: The present boundaries of Vermont . Although the Continental forces suffered defeat, the British forces were damaged to the point that they did not pursue the Americans (retreating from Fort Ticonderoga) any further. Vermont continued to govern itself as a sovereign entity based in the eastern town of Windsor for 14 years. The independent state of Vermont issued its own coinage from 1785 to 1788 and operated
7680-535: The rank of knight. Not all Abenaki natives fought on the side of the French, however; many remained on their native lands in the northern colonies. Much of the trapping was done by the people and traded to the English colonists for durable goods. These contributions by Native American Abenaki peoples went largely unreported. Two tribal communities formed in Canada, one once known as Saint-Francois-du-lac near Pierreville (now called Odanak , Abenaki for "coming home"), and
7776-484: The remainder of the 6,000-man force at Saratoga, New York , on October 17 of that year. The battles of Bennington and Saratoga together are recognized as the turning point in the Revolutionary War because they were the first major defeat of a British army. The anniversary of the battle is celebrated in Vermont as a legal holiday. The Battle of Hubbardton (July 7, 1777) was the only Revolutionary battle within
7872-581: The same land as land patents . In 1764, King George III proclaimed the territory to be under the jurisdiction of New York, which meant that the New Hampshire Grant landowners did not have legal title. Meanwhile, New York continued selling large tracts of land, many of which overlapped with those already inhabited. The dispute led to Ethan Allen forming the Green Mountain Boys , an illicit militia that attacked New York settlers and speculators through arson and mob violence. They eventually repelled
7968-532: The smallest in area of all landlocked states. The Green Mountains in Vermont form a north–south spine running most of the length of the state, slightly west of its center. In the southwest portion of the state are located the Taconic Mountains . In the northwest, near Lake Champlain , is the fertile Champlain Valley . In the south of the valley is Lake Bomoseen . The west bank of the Connecticut River marks
8064-542: The state's eastern border with New Hampshire, though much of the river flows within New Hampshire. 41% of Vermont's land area is part of the Connecticut River's watershed. Lake Champlain , the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the United States, separates Vermont from New York in the northwest portion of the state. From north to south, Vermont is 159 miles (256 km) long. Its greatest width, from east to west,
8160-679: The town of Barton, Vermont . This forest was established with assistance from the Vermont Sierra Club and the Vermont Land Trust . It contains a hunting camp and maple sugaring facilities that are administered cooperatively by the Nulhegan. The forest contains 65 acres (0.26 km ). The Missiquoi Abenaki Tribe owns forest land in the town of Brunswick, Vermont , centered around the Brunswick Springs. These springs are believed to be
8256-435: The village"), a First Nations Abenaki reserve near Pierreville, Quebec , and throughout New Hampshire , Vermont , and New York state. The language is polysynthetic , meaning that a phrase or an entire sentence is expressed by a single word. For example, the word for "white man" awanoch is a combination of the words awani meaning "who" and uji meaning "from". Thus, the word for "white man" literally translates to "Who
8352-556: The war ended. Some captives were adopted into the Mohawk and Abenaki tribes; older captives were generally ransomed, and the colonies carried on a brisk trade. The Third Abenaki War (1722–25), called the Dummer's War or Father Rale's War, erupted when the French Jesuit missionary Sébastien Rale (or Rasles, ~1657?-1724) encouraged the Abenaki to halt the spread of Yankee settlements. When
8448-461: The war. After Rale died, the Abenaki moved to a settlement on the St. Francis River . The Abenaki from St. Francois continued to raid British settlements in their former homelands along the New England frontier during Father Le Loutre's War (see Northeast Coast campaign (1750) ) and the French and Indian War . The development of tourism projects has allowed the Canadian Abenaki to develop
8544-520: The west from the Connecticut River Valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers . The state has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Vermont's economic activity of $ 40.6 billion in 2022 is ranked last on the list of U.S. states and territories by GDP , but 21st in GDP per capita. Known for its progressivism , the state
8640-550: Was needed for settlement. The territory west of the Connecticut River was the last unsettled part of New England, and both the Province of New Hampshire and the Province of New York laid claim to it. In 1749, New Hampshire governor Benning Wentworth began to auction land in an uncolonized area between Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River . This area became known as the New Hampshire Grants . This westward expansion
8736-402: Was no basis for such a structure. Major changes in political apportionment took place in Vermont and other affected states. In the 21st century, Vermont increasingly became defined by its progressivism. It was the first state to introduce civil unions in 2000 and the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009, unforced by court challenge or ruling. On January 22, 2018, Vermont became
8832-449: Was one of the first in the U.S. to recognize same-sex civil unions and marriage , has the highest proportion of renewable electricity generation at 99.9%, and is one of the least religious and least racially/ethnically diverse states. Dairy, forestry, maple syrup , and wine are important sectors in Vermont's agricultural economy. Vermont produces approximately 50% of the nation's maple syrup. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain
8928-584: Was predominantly spoken in Maine , while the Western Abenaki language was spoken in Quebec , Vermont , and New Hampshire . While Abenaki peoples have shared cultural traits, they did not historically have a centralized government. They came together as a post-contact community after their original tribes were decimated by colonization, disease, and warfare . The word Abenaki and its syncope , Abnaki, are both derived from Wabanaki , or Wôbanakiak, meaning "People of
9024-573: Was settled by a peace treaty in 1678, with the Wampanoag more than decimated and many native survivors having been sold into slavery in Bermuda. During Queen Anne's War in 1702, the Abenaki were allied with the French; they raided numerous English colonial settlements in Maine, from Wells to Casco , killing about 300 settlers over ten years. They also occasionally raided into Massachusetts, for instance in Groton and Deerfield in 1704. The raids stopped when
9120-406: Was started to increase New Hampshire's tax base and claim the timber there, White Pine in particular. There were eventually 135 New Hampshire Grants . The first of Benning Wentworth's grants included a town named after himself: Bennington . A typical town, it was 6 square miles (16 km ), contained 48 lots, with land set aside for a school, a church, and a town center. Five hundred acres of
9216-557: Was the 29th state to pass a eugenics law. Vermont, like other states, sterilized some patients in institutions and persons it had identified through surveys as degenerate or unfit. It nominally had permission from the patients or their guardians, but abuses were documented. Two-thirds of the sterilizations were done on women, and poor, unwed mothers were targeted, among others. There is disagreement about how many sterilizations were performed; most were completed between 1931 and 1941, but such procedures were recorded as late as 1970. In 1964,
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