Live Free or Die.” This is the motto of the State of New Hampshire.
New Hampshire is situated in the north-eastern United States. It is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec, on the east by Maine and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Massachusetts, and on the west by Vermont and Quebec. With a total area of 9,279 square miles, it is the 44th. in size among the 50 states.
Algonquin-speaking native peoples were living in the region when the Europeans arrived. The first explorers were Martin Pring from England in 1603, followed by France’s Samuel de Champlain in 1605. The first permanent English settlement was at Dover in 1623.
The people of the Granite State have always taken their motto, “Live Free or Die”, to heart. During the American Revolution, 1776, New Hampshire was the first colony to declare its independence from Great Britain and to establish its own government. It was the 9th. and last necessary state to ratify the new Constitution of the United States in 1788.
Since those early days, the sons and daughters of New Hampshire have shown courage, leadership and daring in many fields of endeavour. The following are only a few examples:
Alan Shepard. ( 1923-1998 ). Alan was born in New Hampshire in 1923. He was one of the first American astronauts. His first flight took place in 1961 aboard the spaceship Freedom 7. He was in space only 5 minutes that time. However, in 1971 he flew aboard Apollo 14 and then he walked on the moon. He retired from the navy as an Admiral. He was employed as a business man at the time of his death in 1998.
Mary Baker Eddy. ( 1821-1910 ). She was born on a farm in Bow, New Hampshire. She was an influential author, teacher and religious leader. She promoted groundbreaking ideas about the relationship between spirituality and health. In 1879, she founded the Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston. Today, it has many branch churches around the world. In 1908, she launched a leading international newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor. It has been the recipient of seven Pulitzer Prizes to date.
Earl Silas Tupper. ( 1907-1983 ) Earl was born in Berlin, New Hampshire. He was a tree surgeon and plastics innovator. He began experimenting with polyethylene, a new material used primarily for insulation, radar, and radio equipment. He invented Tupperware, a line of products which consisted mainly of plastic containers with airtight lids. He patented the Tupperware seal in 1947. He devised a scheme to market Tupperware directly to homemakers: Tupperware Parties.
Justice David Souter. ( 1939-present ). David grew up on the family farm in Weare, New Hampshire. He attended Harvard College, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Law School. In 1976, he became Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush nominated him to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. David received a landslide confirmation vote of 90 to 9, from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Dan Brown. ( 1964-present ). He was born and raised in Exeter, New Hampshire. Dan’s fourth novel, “The Da Vinci Code” became a runaway best seller in 2003. It went to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list during the first week it was released. In 2004, all four of his novels were on the list in the same week. In 2005, Dan Brown made Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the year. He is currently working on a new novel.
Citizens of New Hampshire have valued their freedom since the founding of their state. They have utilized this freedom to accomplish great deeds which have enriched their neighbours, their country and the world community. Every society, especially those living under dictatorships, or a socialist system of government, would benefit from studying the accomplishments of the citizens of New Hampshire. When brave people are firmly resolved to “Live Free or Die”, there’s no foretelling where their towering achievements will end.
