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 Union 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.

Vermont was covered with shallow seas periodically from the Cambrian to Devonian periods. Most of the sedimentary rocks laid down in these seas were deformed by mountain-building. Fossils, however, are common in the Lake Champlain region. Lower areas of western Vermont have flooded again, as part of the St. Lawrence Valley and Champlain Valley by Lake Vermont whose northern boundary followed the melting glacier at the end of the last ice age until it reached the ocean. This was replaced by Lake Vermont and the Champlain Sea, when the land had not yet rebounded from the weight of the glaciers which were sometimes 2 miles (3.2 km) thick. Shells of salt-water mollusks, along with the bones of beluga whales, have been found in the Lake Champlain region.

Lake Vermont is connected to a glacial western lake near what is now the Great Lakes. They allowed western fish to enter the state, which is why Vermont has more native species than any other New England State, 78. About half of these are western in origin.

Little is known of the pre-Columbian history of Vermont. Between 8500 and 7000 BC, glacial activity created the saltwater Champlain Sea. This event caused lamprey, Atlantic salmon, and rainbow smelt to become landlocked.

Native Americans inhabited and hunted in Vermont. From 7000 to 1000 BC was the Archaic Period. During that era, Native Americans migrated year-round. From 1000 BC to 1600 AD was the Woodland Period, when villages and trade networks were established, and ceramic and bow and arrow technology were developed. The western part of the state became home to a small population of Algonquian-speaking tribes, including the Mohican and Abenaki peoples.^{[citation needed]}