National Vermont Day Date in the current year: October 12, 2025

Vermont is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is part of the New England region, along with Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Vermont is the second-least populated and sixth-smallest U.S. state by total area. It is bordered by New Hampshire, New York, and the Canadian province of Quebec.

Before Europeans arrived, the area that is now Vermont was inhabited by the Abenaki and Mohawk tribes. However, most of the native population was subsequently killed by European diseases, and the rest either assimilated with European settlers or moved north to New France. Today, Vermont has no Indian reservations.

Samuel de Champlain was the first European to set foot in the region in 1609, when he claimed it for France. The French maintained a military presence around Lake Champlain due to its strategic importance, yet they did not colonize the area.

In 1763, France ceded its North American lands east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain through the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Years’ War. The territory between Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River was claimed by both New Hampshire and New York. Both colonies issued land patents in the area.

In 1764, King George III proclaimed the territory to be under New York’s jurisdiction. However, his proclamation did not resolve the issue. In 1770, Ethan Allen founded the Green Mountain Boys, a militia organization that protected the territory from New York’s control by attacking New York settlers. The name references the Green Mountains running through Vermont.

In 1777, New Hampshire settlers proclaimed the Republic of New Connecticut, renaming it the Vermont Republic six months later. Vermont’s name derives from the French phrase les verts monts (“the Green Mountains”). The Constitution of Vermont, adopted in July 1777, was the first in North America to ban adult slavery.

The Vermont Republic participated in the American Revolution alongside the other colonies. Notable battles fought in Vermont include the Battle of Bennington, although the actual battlefield is located in present-day New York, and the Battle of Hubbardton.

Vermont continued to govern itself as an independent state after the war ended, but it could not be admitted to the Union because New York claimed its lands. In 1790, Vermont and New York resolved their dispute and established a boundary. The following year, Vermont petitioned Congress to join the Union as a state. Vermont was officially admitted to the Union as the 14th state on March 4, 1791.

However, National Vermont Day does not coincide with Vermont’s accession anniversary because it is part of the National Day Calendar's National State Days project, in which states are celebrated in the order they joined the Union. Celebrations begin with National Delaware Day on July 13, and National Vermont Day falls on October 12.