Introduction to History of New Hampshire
History of New Hampshire. Prehistoric hunters may have roamed what is now New Hampshire as early as 6000 B.C. However, little is known of the early Indians in this area. In historic times, when European explorers arrived, the region was inhabited by western Abnaki tribes, including the Sokoki and the Penacooks.
Important dates in New Hampshire1603Martin Pring of England explored the mouth of the Piscataqua River.1614Captain John Smith of England landed on the Isles of Shoals.1620'sDavid Thomson and Edward Hilton established the first permanent settlements in New Hampshire.1641The Massachusetts Colony gained control of New Hampshire.1680New Hampshire became a separate royal colony.1776New Hampshire broke away from Britain and adopted a temporary constitution.1784New Hampshire adopted its present constitution.1788New Hampshire became the ninth state when it ratified the U.S. Constitution on June 21.1853Franklin Pierce of Hillsboro became the 14th president of the United States.1944The International Monetary Conference was held at Bretton Woods.1961Alan B. Shepard, Jr., of East Derry became the first American to travel in space.1964The New Hampshire sweepstakes lottery began. It was the first legal U.S. lottery since the 1890's.1986Christa McAuliffe, a Concord teacher, was among the seven crew members killed when the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after take-off.1997-2003Jeanne Shaheen served three terms as governor of New Hampshire. Shaheen was the first woman to be elected to the office.Early Exploration and Settlement
In the 16th century, the upper New England coast was often visited by fishing vessels from the Grand Banks. The first exploration of present New Hampshire was by Martin Pring, who sailed up the Piscataqua River on his voyage of 1603. The area was part of the territory granted by royal charter to the Plymouth Company in 1606, and to its successor company, the Council for New England, in 1620.
In 1622 the council's president, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, took as associate Captain John Mason. Mason had served as governor of Newfoundland 1615–21 and during that period had explored the mainland coast. The two colonizers took a grant for Maine, reaching south to the Merrimack River. Odiorne's Point (now Rye), founded in 1623 by David Thomson, and Dover, founded the same year by Edward Hilton, were the first settlements between the Piscataqua and the Merrimack.
In 1629 Gorges and Mason divided their grant, Mason taking the western portion and naming it New Hampshire. A settlement called Strawbery Banke (later Portsmouth) became capital of the colony. Mason's death in 1635 left his colony without supervision. Religious dissenters from Massachusetts founded Exeter in 1638. In the same year Massachusetts Bay Colony, claiming that its own charter entitled it to much of New Hampshire and Maine, established an outpost at Hampton. In 1641–43 the Bay Colony annexed the New Hampshire settlements.
Massachusetts held New Hampshire until 1679, when the Mason heirs succeeded in having it made a royal province. It was part of the Dominion of New England, a consolidated province formed by James II, 1686–89. From 1692 to 1741 it shared a royal governor with Massachusetts.
18th Century. The boundary with Massachusetts was settled by royal order in 1741 and New Hampshire was given its own governor, native-born Benning Wentworth. In 1749 the governor began issuing land grants in the Green Mountain region beyond the Connecticut River. The frontier suffered frequent Indian attacks, however, and settlement was sparse until the Indians were subdued during the French and Indian War.
In 1761 there was a surge of migration to the western region, known as the New Hampshire Grants, but also claimed by New York. In 1764 King George III decided in favor of New York and set New Hampshire's western boundary at the Connecticut River. Settlers beyond that point resisted New York authority. Controversy between New Hampshire and New York continued until 1777, when the disputed area declared itself the Republic of Vermont.
In December of 1774 New Hampshire patriots received word from Paul Revere that British troops were going to be garrisoned at Portsmouth. Under leaders who included John Sullivan, a member of the Continental Congress, a band of New Hampshiremen stormed Fort William and Mary at New Castle and seized the gunpowder and arms. Six months later the royal governor was driven from the colony. In January, 1776, New Hampshire adopted a constitution and set itself up as the first independent American state. The capital during the Revolution was at Exeter.
In 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making its adoption effective. Concord became the permanent meeting place of the legislature in 1808.
Industrial Development
The forests of New Hampshire led to the early establishment of the timber trade and of shipbuilding. (John Paul Jones's ship Ranger was built in Portsmouth.) In the early 19th century wool mills and cotton mills were established. The town of Manchester became one of the nation's major textile centers. A stagecoach built in Concord proved the most successful vehicle of its type, and the Concord coach held its popularity even after the coming of the railways. Manufacture of boots and shoes began in the 1820's.
Unable to compete with the western states in agriculture, New Hampshire developed its industrial potential to a high degree. It did not, however, concentrate the population in a few urban centers. The depression of the 1930's was especially hard on New Hampshire because so many communities depended on a single industry, generally textiles. Following World War II, much of the state's textile industry moved to the South. However, new industries, such as electronics, were established.
New Hampshire, which has always had popular summer resorts, pioneered in developing skiing facilities and became a favorite winter recreation area. In 1964 New Hampshire began operating the first state-run lottery in the United States in the 20th century. In the 1970's, New Hampshire experienced significant population growth and increased industrial development. The economy continued to expand before slowing down in the late 1980's. During 1980–90, New Hampshire was second only to Florida as the fastest-growing state east of the Mississippi, with a population increase of 21 per cent.
In 1996, the state elected its first female governor, Jeanne Shaheen. She served two successive terms.
As of the early 21st century, New Hampshire remains one of the few states that collects a personal income tax based solely on dividend and interest income; a general sales tax is not collected. This low tax plan helps attract new businesses to the area but leaves fewer funds for such government services as education.
In May, 2003, one of New Hampshire's most famous landmarks, the Old Man in the Mountain (also known as the Great Stone Face), was lost. Erosion, which had originally carved the semblance, caused the symbol to fall away from Profile Mountain.