What was the first state to enter the union after the original thirteen?

After the original thirteen colonies ratified the U.S. Constitution, the first new member to join the nation came from the north. Admitted on March 4, 1791, Vermont's path to statehood was unique among its peers. For fourteen years prior, from 1777 to 1791, it had operated as its own independent nation: the Vermont Republic. This self-declared republic had its own constitution, which was the first in North America to ban adult slavery, and it managed its own currency and postal service.

This period of independence was born from a contentious land dispute. The territory, then known as the New Hampshire Grants, was claimed by both New York and New Hampshire. Settlers, led by figures like Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, actively resisted New York's authority. By declaring independence, they asserted their sovereignty against both the British and their powerful colonial neighbors.

The stalemate was finally broken after the Revolutionary War. To clear the way for admission into the United States, Vermont agreed to pay New York $30,000 to resolve all outstanding land claims. Its entry as the 14th state was soon followed by Kentucky's admission in 1792, establishing an early pattern of balancing the interests of northern and southern states in the expanding country.