The 14th Star

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For many years, the nearby colonies, especially New Hampshire and New York, disputed control of the area (then called the New Hampshire Grants). Settlers who held land titles granted by these colonies were opposed by the Green Mountain Boys militia, which eventually prevailed in creating an independent state, the Vermont Republic.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...b/Stella14.jpg
Many have heard of the "Thirteen Colonies" though there is evidence that there may have been only 12 at some point. Vermont could be regarded to be the 14th. Vermont is distinct in that its declaration of independence came in 1777 rather than in 1776.

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Attachment 1420

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Vermont Republic joined the United States of America in 1791 as an originally-sovereign state like the original twelve-or-so states of America. Vermont Republic's independence unlike the other united states of America resulted from military organization called the Green Mountain Boys (headed by Ethan Allen) in what appears to have been a territory of New Hampshire having prevailed against New Hampshire and New York! The Vermont Republic after fourteen years eventually joined the United States of America in in 1791. The sovereignty of Vermont was upheld in an 1815 court case (see scans below).

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On March 20, 1764, King George III established the boundary between New Hampshire and New York along the west bank of the Connecticut River, north of Massachusetts, and south of 45 degrees north latitude. In 1770, Ethan Allen, his brothers Ira and Levi, and Seth Warner recruited an informal militia, known as the Green Mountain Boys, to protect the interests of the original New Hampshire settlers against the new migrants from New York.

Attachment 1418

On at least a surface analysis, the New Hampshire Grants area was a territory of New Hampshire or New York. It seems that "the people" of the territory bested both New York and New Hampshire resulting in Vermont Republic with its sovereignty and independence being recognized in 1791 and again in 1815. This is most insightful in view of the notion of sovereign states being formed out of territories of the United States per the "equal footing doctrine" (Art. IV, § 3, of the Constitution for the United States of America). IMHO, the above-mentioned case and the admission of Vermont is a handy precedent in favor of the fundamentals of state sovereignty per the equal footing doctrine.

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Aside from the Thirteen Colonies, Vermont is one of only four U.S. states (along with Texas, Hawaii, and California) to have been a sovereign state in its past.

There have been allegedly those who have argued only the Original Thirteen/Twelve Colonies, Hawaii, Vermont, Texas and California could "truly" be sovereign states. With Hawaii having come under a type of conquest, it would have been a territory of the United States become a state with the Kingdom of Hawaii's sovereignty recognized at some point. I could go on for pages and pages with legal analysis--nonetheless, the case puts the "equal footing doctrine" in quite a perspective. *grin*

(Please move to Right of Self Determination forum.)