Signing of the Vermont Constitution

Background. From 1777 to 1791, Vermont existed as an independent country, often referred to today as the Vermont Republic. Its first constitution, drafted in 1777, was among the most far-reaching of its era in guaranteeing personal freedoms and individual rights, and its Declaration of Rights of the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont anticipated the United States Bill of Rights by a dozen years.

Drafting and Significance. The 1777 Constitution of the Vermont Republic was drafted at Windsor in the Old Constitution House. The document established a Council of Censors, modeled on a similar element of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, in order that the freedom of the Commonwealth might be preserved inviolate. Vermont's Constitution remains largely unchanged since 1777 and is the only active constitutional document drafted and ratified outside the United States.

Later Revisions and Legacy. The constitution was extensively revised in 1786 to establish a far greater separation of powers than had prevailed under the 1777 text, and the 1786 Constitution remained in effect when Vermont joined the Union in 1791. The current constitution was adopted in 1793. Vermont held constitutional conventions in 1777, 1786, 1793, and numerous later years.