Constitution of Vermont (1777)

The 1777 constitution was the first in what is now the territory of the United States to prohibit adult slavery,[1][2] grant suffrage to non-landowning males, and establish free public education.

Jonas Fay was a delegate to the convention; he was named chairman of the committee appointed to draft the declaration announcing the creation of the Vermont Republic, and received credit as the document's primary author.

[3] The second part of the 1777 constitution was Chapter 1, a "Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont."

The 1786 Constitution continued in effect when, in 1791, Vermont made the transition from independence to the status of one of the states of the Union.

The 1793 Constitution was adopted two years after Vermont's admission to the Union and continues in effect, with various later amendments, to this day.