Vermont in the American Civil War Vermont in the American Civil War During the American Civil War, the State of Vermont continued the military tradition started by the Green Mountain Boys of American Revolutionary War fame, contributing a significant portion of its eligible men to the war effort. The second article in Vermont's constitution, originally written in 1777, abolished slavery, making it the first state to do so. Although its climate was not conducive to the slave trade, Vermonters were early participants in the abolitionist movement. In the 1860 presidential election, Vermont gave Republican Abraham Lincoln a lopsided victory, 33,808 votes compared to 8,649 for Stephen
Slave states and free states a free state in 1859. Before 1812, the concern about balancing slave-states and free states was not profound. This is how the states lined up in 1812. The year column is the year the state ratified the US Constitution or was admitted to the Union: After 1812, and until 1850, maintaining the balance of free and slave state votes in the Senate was considered of paramount importance if the Union were to be preserved, and states were typically admitted in pairs: The balance was maintained until 1850: The Civil War (1861-1865) disrupted and eventually ended slavery: During the Civil War,