Part One - A Very New Idea

Take a deep look at some of Vermont's cherished traditions: participatory democracy and the conservation ethic. We capture 21st century debates over natural resources, how these concerns originate in the ethics of farmers who depend on the natural world for their survival. The disappearance of dairy farms raised a tough question: how big is too big? How can Vermont survive in a world economy?

In the mid-20th century, political pioneers Bill Meyer and Governor Phil Hoff rose to take the lead in state politics. Innovation was everywhere: in the work of Snowflake Bentley and Thaddeus Fairbanks, in the rise of IBM, and the creation of Interstate highways. Rare archival footage provides a look at the realities of communal life and the counter-culture who established roots in Vermont.

Explore the roots from which the future state of Vermont grew. Samuel de Champlain paves the way for Yankee immersion into native culture. We look at early settlement, native peoples’ resistance, and the little-known history of African American settlers. Pioneer rebel Ethan Allen leads the struggle for independence.