When Vermont Was a Republic

Vermont was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791, with its own constitution, currency, postal service, and naturalization laws, governed under the name the Vermont Republic. It was the first government in the Western Hemisphere to ban adult slavery in its founding constitution, doing so 88 years before the 13th Amendment. Vermont also extended voting rights to all men regardless of property ownership, a radical departure from the property qualifications required in the other colonies. After 14 years of sovereignty, Vermont joined the United States as the 14th state, the first state admitted after the original thirteen.

Source: Wikipedia