The Declaration arrived in New Hampshire around July 14, 1776, and was publicly proclaimed in both Portsmouth and Exeter—the new capital, moved there as a deliberate rejection of the Wentworth oligarchy. It was published in the Freeman's Journal on July 20. Because New Hampshire had already governed itself under its January 1776 constitution for six months, the Declaration served more as formal confirmation than revelation. Unlike colonies where armed conflict forced residents to take sides, New Hampshire saw no fighting on its own soil, allowing many people to stay uncommitted and wait out events. Military participation ran at roughly one in ten men of military age—far below the one in three who had served in the French and Indian War. Nonetheless, notable New Hampshire soldiers fought at Bunker Hill and in the Continental Army, and General John Stark led New Hampshire militia to victory at the Battle of Bennington in 1777, where he coined the phrase “live free or die.”
Interviewees
-
Eliga Gould
- Professor of History, University of New Hampshire
