250 to 250: 86. Green Mountain Boys, Narrated by Representative Becca Balint

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Green Mountain Boys, Narrated by Representative Becca Balint

U.S. Rep. Becca Balint has represented Vermont in Congress since 2023, making history as the first woman and openly LGBTQ+ person to do so. A former teacher and state legislator, Rep. Balint is the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father and has dedicated her career to fighting for working people, defending democracy, and ensuring every community has a voice. Balint talks about the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia known for its heroics during the Revolutionary War. 

Ethan Allen was a farmer and landowner.

• In the 1760s, he helped form the Green Mountain Boys.
• The Green Mountain Boys were a militia group in the area that is now Vermont.
• They first worked to protect settlers and their land.
• During the American Revolution, they fought against the British.
• On May 10, 1775, they captured Fort Ticonderoga.
• This was an important early American victory.
• The Americans captured cannons and other weapons at the fort.
• The Continental Army later used these cannons near Boston.
• In March 1776, the British left Boston.
• Ethan Allen helped give the colonists hope that they could defeat the British.
• The Green Mountain Boys became famous for their role in the fight for American independence.
  

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 9:8.b. Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted (helped), or participated in any armed group (a group that carries weapons), for example: 
• paramilitary unit (a group of people who act like a military group but are not part of the official military)
• self-defense unit
• vigilante unit
•  rebel group
• or guerrilla group?
• USCIS 100:61. Why did the colonists fight the British?
• USCIS 128:77. Name one reason why the Americans declared independence from Britain.

Family Fun:

• C-SPAN Classroom: The Green Mountain Boys and the American Revolution
• Ethan Allen Homestead Museum: History 
• Fort Ticonderoga: Learn and Explore at Home (activities, puzzles, coloring pages)
• Postal Museum: Vermont Sesquicentennial Issue | Fort Ticonderoga
• Vermont History: New Frontier: The Green Mountain Boys