New Hampshire is one of the original 13 U.S. colonies which fought for freedom with their motto “live free or die” – which they held onto dearly. John Smith sent settlers to New Hampshire to create a fishing colony, as the first colonists were starving. As well, New Hampshire was part of Massachusetts for 38 years and became its own colony in 1679.

On this day June 21^st, in 1788, New Hampshire is admitted into the United States as the 9^th state, upon ratifying the constitution. New Hampshire played a key role in the formation of the U.S. and its politics since 1952. Since 1952 New Hampshire (along with Iowa) has held earlier elections for primaries; therefore, the media pays a lot of attention to this little state as a prediction for the outcome of the presidential bids.

For centuries New Hampshire’s economy was dependent upon textiles and shoemaking, but lower wages in the South drove the competition there, so now it is reliant upon agriculture: eggs, poultry, & apples, as well as New Hampshire’s major attraction of ski slopes. There are over 30 ski resorts in New Hampshire. It is a small state with 1.3 million people and an area of 9,304 square miles, compare that to its neighboring state Maine’s area of over 35,000 square miles.