The Green Mountain Boys:

First to Defy Slavery, and Won the First Battle of the Revolution without firing a shot..

In the rugged wilderness between New Hampshire and New York, a new spirit of freedom was about to be born.

In the mid-1700s, the territory that would become Vermont was fiercely contested:

both New Hampshire and New York claimed it, issuing conflicting land grants to settlers.

Frustration mounted as New York tried to enforce its authority, demanding rent and ejecting farmers who had purchased land from New Hampshire.

Enter the Green Mountain Boys.

A band of self-organized settlers, the Green Mountain Boys formed in the 1760s to defend their land claims and personal liberty.

Led by the charismatic Ethan Allen, these frontiersmen refused to bow to outside control—whether from New York’s colonial authorities or anyone else.

A Sanctuary of Freedom.

As the broader American colonies wrestled with the question of slavery, the Green Mountain Boys and their emerging republic took a groundbreaking stand.

In 1777, Vermont adopted a radical constitution (the constitution was a statement of what these men constituted at that time which was God and freedom): it outlawed slavery for men and declared, “all men are born free and independent.” This made Vermont the first place in North America to ban slavery outright—eighty-six years before Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Ethan Allen’s Daring Leadership.

When the American Revolution erupted, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys became legends. Before the Declaration of Independence, in May 1775, Allen led them on a surprise attack at Fort Ticonderoga—an imposing British stronghold on Lake Champlain. In a feat still celebrated in history, Allen and his men overwhelmed the garrison without firing a shot. Facing the British commander, Allen demanded surrender “in the name of God and the Continental Congress.”

This was America’s first major victory of the Revolutionary War, securing valuable artillery and boosting the revolutionary cause.

A Land Between Powers.

All the while, Vermont (named for its “green mountains”) stood apart—unrecognized, independent, and fiercely self-governed between rival claims. It would remain a “republic” until joining the United States as the 14th state in 1791, always priding itself on a heritage of liberty, Natural Law, God given rights and resistance to oppression, as embodied by the Green Mountain Boys.

Now the Green Mountain Boys (Shield of Souls (dot com)) have gone Global and are calling on the world for another no guns sneak attack, but to end the war before it even starts.. Join their global infrastructure and add your voice to many and make actual change that we couldn't do on our own otherwise.