Vermont. Copyright 2010 LessonSnips

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Pamela Casey
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1 Vermont Vermont is one of the six New England states located in the northeast corner of the United States. Vermont is a small state that is divided from New Hampshire to the east by the Connecticut River and from New York to the west by Lake Champlain. Massachusetts is south of Vermont and Vermont shares a northern border with Canada. Early History of Vermont Being one of the New England states, Vermont s modern history begins with early European exploration. In the 1600 s, French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in Canada in 1608 and in 1609 he explored and mapped the region around Lake Champlain. The name Vermont is derived from the French les verts monts, the green mountains. In fact, the Green Mountains, part of the great Appalachian Mountains that extend from New England to Georgia, run through the middle of Vermont from north to south. The French established a fort on Isle La Motte, an island in Lake Champlain, in However, English troops moved into Vermont from the vicinity of Albany in the New York colony and built a fort at Chimney Point in Meanwhile the Native American tribes like the Abenaki, Pennacook, Algonquin and Iroquois were vying for territory in the Vermont region. The French formed an alliance with the Algonquins in order to enhance their fur trade. In 1724, settlers from the Massachusetts colony established Fort Dummer where Brattleboro is today. The area of Vermont became a region with French and English settlers, trappers and military personnel mixed with several Indian tribes, all wanting to control the territory. Finally the French and Indian War, as it is called, began between France and England in Both countries utilized alliances with Indian tribes to further their cause. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended this war and Britain took over many of France s territories, including the area of Vermont. The squabbling over Vermont did not end with the Treaty of Paris. The French and Indian War had decided which country owned Vermont but not which British colony the area belonged to. Both New Hampshire and New York claimed some of the same lands in Vermont. In 1764 the British government decreed that the Connecticut River was the boundary between New Hampshire and New York.

2 Vermont and the Revolutionary War The Revolutionary War began with the Battle of Lexington (Massachusetts) on April 19, Vermonter Ethan Allen and his militia called the Green Mountain Boys immediately joined the conflict and on May 10 and 11, 1775 they captured the British fort, Fort Ticonderoga, on the southern part of Lake Champlain. This gave the colonists control of the lake and access for ships into British territory in Canada. On July 4, 1776, the American colonies declared their independence from Britain. The people of Vermont had not want to be ruled by the New York colony, but that had been the decree from Britain. They concluded that freedom from Britain also meant that the decree placing the area of Vermont under New York was nullified as well. On January 15, 1777, Vermont wrote their own Declaration of Independence from New York and stated they were the republic of New Connecticut. However, on June 4, 1777 the republic changed its name to Vermont. Ten years later, in 1787, the United States established its Constitution and over time each of the thirteen original colonies ratified it and became states. In January 1791, Vermont representatives ratified the U.S. Constitution and in March 1791 Vermont became the fourteenth state. Two decades later the population of Vermont had tripled to about 218,000 people. The days of war were not over for Vermont as the area became part of the battleground of the War of With its border on Canada, people in Vermont feared a British invasion as part of the war. In fact, British warships sailed into Lake Champlain and attacked Burlington in August of However the following year American forces gained control of the lake after the Battle of Plattsburgh in September In the early 1800s Vermont relied heavily on trade with Canada to maintain its economy. Improvements in transportation within the United States, such as the Champlain Canal that became operational in 1823, the building of turnpikes, and finally the introduced on railroad connections in Vermont in 1849, connected Vermont with trading partners throughout the United States.

3 Vermont Today Today Vermont has just 624,000 inhabitants. Vermont is one of the most rural states in the country because about seventy percent of the population does not live within cities or towns. Dairy cattle are important to the economy and Vermont marble is prized for its beauty. Vermont was the first state to promote tourism. In 1911 the Vermont Bureau of Publicity published a pamphlet entitled Vermont, Designed by the Creator for the Playground of the Continent. Tourism continues to be a large part of Vermont s economy, especially capitalizing on the fall colors and ski resorts.

4 Circle True or False after analyzing each of the following statements. 1. True False Vermont is one of the six New England states located in the northeast corner of the United States. 2. True False Lake Champlain forms part of the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. 3. True False The Green Mountains in Vermont are part of the Appalachian Mountains that extend from New England to Georgia. 4. True False The Algonquin, Iroquois and Sioux Indians were all vying for lands in Vermont at the time of the first British and French settlements. 5. True False The French and Indian War began in 1754 and involved only French soldiers doing battle with Indian warriors. 6. True False Vermonter Ethan Allen and his militia helped the British defeat American soldiers at the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga shortly after the Revolutionary War began. 7. True False In 1777 Vermont wrote its own Declaration of Independence from the New York colony. 8. True False Vermont was an independent republic when it sought to become the fourteenth state. 9. True False Lake Champlain was the site of military activity during the War of True False Like the other New England states, an important part of Vermont s tourism centers around ocean beaches.

5 Answers 1. True 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. False 6. False 7. True 8. True 9. True 10. False

West Virginia. Copyright 2010 LessonSnips

West Virginia. Copyright 2010 LessonSnips West Virginia West Virginia has one of the most unusual shapes in the United States due to the topography of the land. West Virginia has two straight-line borders with Pennsylvania to the north and a straight-line