Vermont Firsts and Other Claims to Fame
Author | : Richard B. Smith |
Publisher | : Arcadia Publishing |
Total Pages | : 224 |
Release | : 2020-11-02 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781439671702 |
ISBN-13 | : 1439671702 |
Rating | : 4/5 (02 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Vermont may be small in population, but it looms large with innovation. The state constitution was the first in America to ban slavery, provide for universal male suffrage and establish a system for publicly funded education. Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga for America's First Victory. An eleven-year-old Willie Johnston was America's youngest Medal of Honor winner, and Grace Coolidge became the one and only First Lady to have a raccoon as a pet while in the White House. In the 1930s, rebellious Vermonters were the first to vote down a major New Deal construction project, the Green Mountain Parkway. Join local historian Dick Smith as he reveals this state's pioneering nature.