When are you going to stand up for your rights?
Before the US Constitution or even the idea of United States was ever conceived, colonists under British rule had to stand up for themselves against the disputes and encroachments of their tyrants.
One such dispute was over the unorganized lands west of the New Hampshire colony. Both New York and New Hampshire had claimed the territory and both colonies made land grants in the region of the Green Mountains that is Vert-Mont, or Vermont.
The dispute was adjudicated by the King's government and New York was granted authority of the New Hampshire Grants. While a small fraction of the territory approved of the Crown's decision, most settlers did not.
In 1770, several hundred formed into a militia led by the brothers Ethan and Ira Allen. They rebuked New York's attempt to enforce its rule. The militia called themselves the "New Hampshire Men," but the newspapers started calling them the "Green Mountain Boys."
The colonial authorities of New York issued arrest warrants for the "bandits'' but couldn't carry them out. Rebellious settlers harassed and at times beat New York authorities, sheriffs, surveyors, and even New York land grant holders, who sought to extend New York control into Vermont.
After one bloody episode, Ethan Allen organized a convention seeking independence from New York. This was well before the revolutionary events of 1775.
In early 1775, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were asked if they could aid revolutionary soldiers from Connecticut and Massachusetts to take Fort Ticonderoga. They did help take the fort in a daring raid without firing a single shot and went on to play important roles in the American Revolution.
But that still didn't end New York's claims on Vermont. Due to New York's objections, the Continental Congress refused to recognize Vermont's independence.
In 1777, Vermont, on its own, declared independence from Quebec, New Hampshire, and New York, forming itself into a republic, which lasted for 14 years. Finally, in 1790, long after the revolution and shortly after the then-new Constitution was enacted, New York relinquished its claims, and Vermont became the 14th state of the United States in 1791.
So would Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys sign a petition for an Article V Convention of States?
Seeing that their own revolution started years before the Declaration of Independence, and that they continued on their own for 20 years, my guess is they'd be wondering why we’re still having trouble with New York and asking why we haven't already had an Article V Convention of States.
Sign the petition, then get everyone you know to sign. Volunteer if you can!
