The Real Ethan Allen
Today when you think of the name Ethan Allen you probably think of the furniture store. However, while the store is named after this Ethan Allen, he had nothing to do with furniture. In fact, Ethan Allen was a revolutionary hero. On top of that, Ethan Allen was also the founder of Vermont, a politician, land speculator, and wore many other hats. Ethan Allen was born during the year 1738 in Litchfield, Connecticut. Throughout his life, Ethan was known as a rebel-rouser, or someone who liked to stir up large groups of people for his own entertainment.
With being known as a rebel-rouser his whole life, it is no surprise that Ethan would fight in every war during his life. He first joined the military during the French and Indian war. After this war, Ethan settled in what is now known as Vermont. However, during Ethan’s time, New York and New Hampshire were claiming the land as their own. In 1770, New York ruled that New Hampshire Grants were invalid and therefore the land did not belong to them. In response, a group known as the Green Mountain Boys came together to stop New York from taking their land. The leader of this group was Ethan.
Once the American Revolution started in 1775, the Green Mountain Boys turned to supporting the American Colonies. Ethan Allen, along with Benedict Arnold, led the group in capturing Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Believing they could do more, the group tried to capture Montreal but failed. This failure led to the capture of Ethan and being sent off to spend two years in the Cornwall, England prison. After his release, Ethan returned to Vermont, which was not part of the United States or British America. In response, Ethan tried to negotiate with Canada, however, this only made him untrustworthy to everyone else. Ethan died in his Vermont home in 1789, two years before Vermont joined the United States.