1.
Vermont State House
–
The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of Vermont, in the United States. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly, the current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the State House. Designed by Thomas Silloway in 1857–1858, it was occupied in 1859, a careful restoration of the Vermont State House began in the early 1980s led by curator David Schütz and the Friends of the Vermont State House, a citizens advisory committee. The general style of the building is Neoclassical and Greek Revival and is furnished in American Empire, Renaissance Revival, some rooms have been restored to represent latter-19th-century styles including the Aesthetic Movement style. The Vermont State House is located on State Street on the edge of downtown Montpelier. Set against a hillside, the building and its distinctive gold leaf dome are easily visible while approaching Montpelier. The current structure was designed by architect Thomas Silloway amplifying the design of a structure designed by Ammi B. Young, later supervising architect of the U. S. Treasury, the first State House built in 1808 by Sylvanus Baldwin was replaced by the current Vermont Supreme Court Building completed in 1918. The prior edifice, known as the second State House, was constructed on the site between 1833–1838. Youngs structure was of a more reserved Greek Revival design based upon the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, gray Barre granite is used for the two-story cruciform design with a Doric portico and a low saucer dome echoing William Thorntons earliest design for the United States Capitol. Youngs structure was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in January 1857, Silloway was able to salvage the Doric portico, as well as portions of the granite walls. Silloway added a bay of windows on each side of the central portico. This may have been done to imitate the increased height of the new Capitol dome in Washington designed by Thomas U. Walter which was being constructed during the same time, the dome and roofs were originally painted a dark terracotta red to suggest Tuscan tile. The dome was not gilded until the early 20th century, when states did so as a part of the Colonial Revival style. The dome is topped by a statue named Agriculture, a representation of Ceres, the original statue was carved by Vermont artist Larkin Goldsmith Mead, who also carved the large bust of Lincoln in the Hall of Inscriptions on the State Houses ground floor. The current statue is a replacement, and something of a piece of folk art and it was carved in 1938 by then 87-year-old Dwight Dwinell, Sergeant-at-Arms. The Doric portico, the ceremonial entrance, houses a granite statue of Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen was a founder of Vermont and commander of the Green Mountain Boys, the statue was carved by Aristide Piccini in 1941, to replace the original marble version carved by Larkin Goldsmith Mead in 1858
2.
U.S. state
–
A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
3.
Vermont
–
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders the other U. S. states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Lake Champlain forms half of Vermonts western border with the state of New York, Vermont is the 2nd-least populous of the U. S. states, with nearly 50,000 more residents than Wyoming. The capital is Montpelier, the least populous state capital in the U. S, the most populous municipality, Burlington, is the least populous city in the U. S. to be the most populous within a state. As of 2015, Vermont continued to be the producer of maple syrup in the U. S. It was ranked as the safest state in the country in January 2016, for thousands of years inhabited by indigenous peoples, including the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Mohawk, much of the territory that is now Vermont was claimed by Frances colony of New France. France ceded the territory to Great Britain after being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years War, for many years, the nearby colonies, especially the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, disputed control of the area. Settlers who held land titles granted by New York were opposed by the Green Mountain Boys militia, ultimately, those settlers prevailed in creating an independent state, the Vermont Republic. Founded in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, the republic lasted for 14 years, aside from the original 13 states that were formerly colonies, Vermont is one of only four U. S. states that were previously sovereign states. Vermont was also the first state to join the U. S. as its 14th member state after the original 13, while still an independent republic, Vermont was the first of any future U. S. state to partially abolish slavery. It played an important geographic role in the Underground Railroad, sights in Vermont Vermont is located in the New England region of the northeastern United States and comprises 9,614 square miles, making it the 45th-largest state. It is the state that does not have any buildings taller than 124 feet. Land comprises 9,250 square miles and water comprises 365 square miles, making it the 43rd-largest in land area, in total area, it is larger than El Salvador and smaller than Haiti. The west bank of the Connecticut River marks the eastern border with New Hampshire. 41% of Vermonts land area is part of the Connecticut Rivers watershed, Lake Champlain, the major lake in Vermont, is the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the United States and separates Vermont from New York in the northwest portion of the state. From north to south, Vermont is 159 miles long and its greatest width, from east to west, is 89 miles at the Canada–U. S. Border, the narrowest width is 37 miles at the Massachusetts line, the states geographic center is approximately three miles east of Roxbury, in Washington County. There are fifteen U. S. federal border crossings between Vermont and Canada, the origin of the name Vermont is uncertain, but likely comes from the French les Verts Monts, meaning the Green Mountains
4.
Constitution of Vermont (1777)
–
The first Constitution of Vermont was drafted in July 1777, almost five months after Vermont declared itself an independent country, now frequently called the Vermont Republic. It was in effect until its revision in 1786. The second Constitution of Vermont went into effect in 1786 and lasted until 1793, in 1791 Vermont became the fourteenth US state and in 1793 it adopted its current constitution. The 1777 constitution was the first in what is now the territory of the United States to prohibit slavery, grant suffrage to non-landowning males. The constitution was adopted on July 8,1777, at the tavern in Windsor now known as the Old Constitution House, the constitution consisted of three main parts. The second part of the 1777 constitution was Chapter 1, a Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont. While this was the first such partial ban on slavery in the New World, it was not strongly enforced, see also History of slavery in Vermont. This established the principles of eminent domain in Vermont. The third article established freedom of religion, the fourth through seventh articles subordinated the government to the interests of the people. The eighth article gave all freemen the right to vote, the ninth article said that since everyone has a right to be protected in his life, liberty, and property, that he ought to contribute his share to the expense of that protection. The tenth through thirteenth articles concerned due process of law, the fourteenth and fifteenth articles concerned freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, and the subordination of the military to the civil power. The seventeenth article recognizes a right to emigrate, the eighteenth article recognizes rights of assembly and petition. The nineteenth article says no one should be liable to be transported from Vermont to any place to be tried for offenses committed in Vermont. Chapter 2 of the Constitution is called A Plan or Frame of Government and it vests executive power in the governor and council, and legislative power in the House of Representatives, and requires a court of justice to be established in every county. Section V prescribes universal military training, section VI says every man at least 21 years old may vote if they take an oath promising to vote consistently with the interests of the state of Vermont. Sections VII through IX and XI through XVI provide for election of legislators. Section X says the legislature is to elect delegates to the Continental Congress, Sections XVII and XVIII deal with the powers of the governor and council, in particular making the governor the commander-in-chief of the military. Sections XXI through XXVI deal with courts of law, in particular the supreme court, Chapter 2 continues through 44 Sections
5.
Windsor, Vermont
–
Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. Over much of its history, Windsor was home to a variety of manufacturing enterprises, the population was 3,553 at the 2010 census. One of the New Hampshire grants, Windsor was chartered as a town on July 6,1761 and it was first settled in August 1764 by Captain Steele Smith and his family from Farmington, Connecticut. In 1777, the signers of the Constitution of the Vermont Republic met at Old Constitution House, in 1820, it was the states largest town, a thriving center for trade and agriculture. In 1835, the first dam was built across Mill Brook to provide water power, factories made guns, machinery, tinware, furniture and harnesses. The community is named for Windsor, Connecticut, in 1846, Robbins and Lawerence received a government contract to manufacture firearms. Using advanced machine tools to produce parts, they and their associates established factories in the Connecticut River valley. Two factories, now closed, sustained the economy of Windsor, Cone Automatic Machine Company and a Goodyear Tire. Windsor village began development at the end of the 18th century and it is known as the birthplace of Vermont, where the state constitution was signed, and acted as the first capital until 1805 when Montpelier became the official state capital. Commerce prospered due to the location on the banks of the Connecticut River where several smaller streams run into it. The economy improved in the century when Windsor became the first town in the state to break ground for the railroad with the construction of a rail depot. Windsor Station connected the town to out-of-state markets and it was after the railroad went through that the area was discovered by tourists. Windsors war memorial, the City Center Veterans Memorial, was created by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 19.8 square miles. Home to part of Mount Ascutney, Windsor is situated beside the Connecticut River, the town is crossed by Interstate 91, U. S. Route 5, Vermont Route 12, Vermont Route 44, and Vermont Route 44A. It is bordered by the town of Weathersfield to the south, West Windsor to the west, and Hartland to the north. To the east, across the Connecticut River, is Cornish, New Hampshire, to which Windsor is connected by the Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge, one of the longest covered bridges in the world. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,756 people,1,520 households, the population density was 192.1 people per square mile
6.
Old Constitution House
–
The Old Constitution House is a historic house at 16 North Main Street in Windsor, Vermont. It is the birthplace of the Vermont Republic and the Constitution of the State of Vermont, the house is a Vermont State Historic Site, and is administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. It is also listed on National Register of Historic Places, separately since March 11,1971 as well as a part of the Windsor Village Historic District since April 23,1975, the land presently identified as Vermont had multiple claims upon it in the 18th century. British Royal governors from New Hampshire and New York claimed portions of the area, in 1764 British King George III ruled that New York had jurisdiction of the area, even though most of its settlement had taken place under New Hampshire-issued 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, in January 1777 representatives of the grants met in convention at Westminster. The convention declared its independence from all forces, and adopted the name New Connecticut. The group reconvened on June 4,1777 at Windsor, a letter by Dr. Thomas Young of Philadelphia, 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 Wests tavern, a new constitution, taking inspiration from Benjamin Franklins constitution for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was drafted. This constitution went further than Pennsylvanias in establishing civil liberties, 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, settlers in Vermonts western towns were panicked and began to flee. The American forces in the form of the Continental Army slowed the British advance, 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 Wests Tavern and the document was completed, the Vermont Republic was begun, and continued for fourteen years. In 1791 Vermont joined the union, becoming the first state admitted after the original thirteen. Elijah Wests tavern was located near the center of town. It continued to function as a tavern until 1848 when it was converted to space for a store, 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 houses present location was given by William M. Evarts
7.
Vermont Republic
–
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of Vermont that existed from 1777 to 1791. In January 1777, delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and they also abolished adult slavery within their boundaries. Many people in Vermont took part in the American Revolution, although the Continental Congress did not recognize the jurisdiction, because of vehement objections from New York, which had conflicting property claims, the Continental Congress declined to recognize Vermont, then called the New Hampshire Grants. Vermonts overtures to join the British Province of Quebec failed, in 1791, Vermont officially joined the United States as the 14th state. Vermont coined a currency called Vermont coppers from a mint operated by Reuben Harmon in East Rupert, while the Vermont coppers bore the legend Vermontis. Publica, the constitution and other official documents used the term State of Vermont and it referred to its chief executive as a governor. The Vermont Republic was called the reluctant republic because many early citizens favored political union with the United States rather than independence, both popular opinion and the legal construction of the government made clear that the independent State of Vermont would eventually join the original 13 states. While the Continental Congress did not allow a seat for Vermont, William Samuel Johnson, in 1785, Johnson was granted title to the former Kings College Tract by the Vermont General Assembly as a form of compensation for representing Vermont. After 1749, Benning Wentworth, the Royal Governor of New Hampshire, granted land to anyone in a land granting scheme designed to enrich himself, after 1763, settlement increased due to easing security concerns after the end of the French and Indian Wars. The Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen, was a force from Vermont that supported the New Hampshire claims. Following controversy between the holders of the New York grants and the New Hampshire grants, Ethan Allen, on January 15,1777, a convention of representatives from towns in the territory declared the region independent, choosing the name the Republic of New Connecticut. On June 2 of that year, the name of the nation was officially changed to Vermont upon the suggestion of Dr. Thomas Young. John Greenleaf Whittiers poem The Song of the Vermonters,1779 describes the period in ballad form, first published anonymously, the poem had characteristics in the last stanza that were similar to Ethan Allens prose and caused it to be attributed to Allen for nearly 60 years. The Constitution of Vermont was drafted and ratified at Elijah Wests Windsor Tavern in 1777, possessing an identifiable population or a people entitled them to the same constitutional rights of self-government as other Peoples in the American confederacy. In addition to creating a new government for the thirteen colonies. At the same time as they struggled for independence from Great Britain, Americans had to confront just how that formation should take place, during the time of the Vermont Republic, the government issued its own coinage and currency, and operated a postal service. The governor of Vermont, Thomas Chittenden, with consent of his council, Vermont exchanged ambassadors with the United States, the Netherlands, and France. Much of the associated with Vermont in this period expressed a desire for political union with the United States
8.
Separation of powers
–
The separation of powers, often imprecisely and metonymically used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The typical division of branches is into a legislature, an executive, and it can be contrasted with the fusion of powers in some parliamentary systems where the executive and legislature are unified. Separation of powers, therefore, refers to the division of responsibilities into distinct branches to any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks, aristotle first mentioned the idea of a mixed government or hybrid government in his work Politics where he drew upon many of the constitutional forms in the city-states of Ancient Greece. In the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate, Consuls and the Assemblies showed an example of a government according to Polybius. John Calvin favoured a system of government that divided political power between democracy and aristocracy, Calvin appreciated the advantages of democracy, stating, It is an invaluable gift if God allows a people to elect its own government and magistrates. In this way, Calvin and his followers resisted political absolutism, Calvin aimed to protect the rights and the well-being of ordinary people. In 1620, a group of English separatist Congregationalists and Anglicans founded Plymouth Colony in North America, enjoying self-rule, they established a bipartite democratic system of government. Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, books like William Bradfords History of Plymoth Plantation were widely read in England. So the form of government in the colonies was well known in the mother country, the term tripartite system is ascribed to French Enlightenment political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu. In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu described the separation of power among a legislature, an executive. Montesquieus approach was to present and defend a form of government which was not excessively centralized in all its powers to a monarch or similar ruler. He based this model on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, Montesquieu took the view that the Roman Republic had powers separated so that no one could usurp complete power. In the British constitutional system, Montesquieu discerned a separation of powers among the monarch, Parliament, Montesquieu did actually specify that the independence of the judiciary has to be real, and not apparent merely. The judiciary was generally seen as the most important of powers, independent and unchecked, typically this was accomplished through a system of checks and balances, the origin of which, like separation of powers itself, is specifically credited to Montesquieu. Constitutions with a degree of separation of powers are found worldwide. The UK system is distinguished by a particular entwining of powers, a number of Latin American countries have electoral branches of government. Countries with little separation of power include New Zealand and Canada, Canada makes limited use of separation of powers in practice, although in theory it distinguishes between branches of government
