The
Old Constitution House located at Windsor
in the
U.S. state of Vermont
is the
birthplace of the Vermont Republic
and the Constitution of the State
of Vermont. A mid-18 century building built in a simple
Georgian architectural style, the Old
Constitution House was originally called the
Windsor
Tavern, and belonged to Elijah West at the time of the
signing of the constitution. The house is a
Vermont State Historic Site,
and is administered by the Vermont Division for Historic
Preservation.
History
The land presently identified as Vermont had multiple claims upon
it in the eighteenth century. British Royal governors from New
Hampshire and New York claimed portions of the state, and settlers
from Connecticut and Massachusetts had claimed land and begun
settlement. The New Hampshire granted communities were called
grants. In 1764 New York's royal governor persuaded British
King George III to give authority to the
New York over the New Hampshire grants. Settlers faced continuing
competing claims and demands for tax from both New Hampshire and
New York, and exorbitant costs to transfer grants from New
Hampshire to New York. The conflict continued and grew, and
Ethan Allen and the
Green Mountain Boys formed a militia
aligned primarily against the New York colony and its
governor.
In January
1777 representatives of the grants met in convention at Westminster
. The convention declared its independence
from all external forces, and adopted the name "New Connecticut."
The group
reconvened on June 4, 1777 at Windsor, a letter by
Dr. Thomas Young of Philadelphia, who supported the attempt of
independence, was read. Young urged the adoption of the name
"Vermont" and the creation of a constitution for Vermont.
On July 2, 1777 a constitutional convention met in Windsor at
Elijah West's tavern. A new constitution, taking inspiration from
Benjamin Franklin's constitution
for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was drafted. This
constitution went further than Pennsylvania's in establishing civil
liberties. It became the first constitution in the new world to
outlaw slavery and indentured servitude, it provided universal
manhood suffrage without requirement of property ownership, and
required the free education of its citizens, male and female, at
public expense. The constitutional convention continued for several
days, hammering out the distribution of powers, the rights of three
co-equal branches of government, and the rights of the citizens.
During
this period the British, under Lieutenant
General John Burgoyne captured Fort Ticonderoga
, and Mount Independence. Settlers in
Vermont's western towns were panicked and began to flee. The
American forces in the form of the
Continental Army slowed the British
advance, giving the Green Mountain Boys time to respond in
force.
On the morning of July 8, 1777 news of the British advances had
panicked the convention, several called for adjournment and
suggested reconvening later. A violent thunderstorm with heavy
downpour kept delegates in West's Tavern and the document was
completed, and signed. The Vermont Republic was begun, and
continued for fourteen years. In 1791 Vermont joined the federal
union, becoming the first state admitted after the original
13.
Preserving the Old Constitution House
Elijah West's tavern was originally located near the center of
town. It continued to function as a tavern until 1848 when it was
converted to space for a store and light manufacturing. Around 1870
the house was moved to a side street and became a residential
tenement. In 1890 the house was converted to a warehouse.
In 1901 efforts to preserve the Old Constitution House began. In
1911 a group called the Old Constitution House Association was
formed towards acquiring and restoring the house. Shortly after the
house was donated by its owners, the Fay family, to the
association, and property for the house's present location was
given by William M. Evarts. By 1914 sufficient funds for the
restoration had been raised, and work began under the direction of
architect Sheldon Newton.
The Old Constitution House Association continued to operate the
house as a museum until 1961 when it transferred ownership to the
Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The house has been
restored to approximate a tavern with period rooms showing a tavern
room, dining room, tea parlor and guest rooms. Many of the historic
items have been donated by descendants of the delegates and by the
Daughters of the
American Revolution.
See also
Bibliography
- Allen, Ira. The Natural and Political History of the State
of Vermont, one of the United States of America. Original
publication 1798, Charles E. Tuttle Company: 1969. ISBN
0-8048-0419-2.
- Doyle, William T. "The Vermont Political Tradition and Those
Who Helped Make It." Doyle Publisher: 1987. ISBN
0-9615486-1-4.
- Duffy, John J., et al. Vermont: An Illustrated
History. American Historical Press: 2000. ISBN
1-892724-08-1.
- Klyza, Christopher McGrory, and Stephen C. Trombulak. The
Story of Vermont: A Natural and Cultural History. University
Press of New England: 1999. ISBN 0-87451-936-5.
- Orton, Vrest. Personal Observations on the Republic of
Vermont. Academy Books: 1981. ISBN 0-914960-30-X.
- Potash, P. Jeffrey, et al. Freedom and Unity: A History of
Vermont. Vermont Historical Society: 2004. ISBN
0-934720-49-5.
- Van de Water, Frederic Franklyn. The Reluctant Republic:
Vermont 1724–1791 | The Countryman Press: 1974. |ISBN
0-914378-02-3.
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