New Hampshire Pros And Cons Essay

Did you know that New Hampshire was the first of the original 13 colonies to declare independence from Great Britain? Actually, New Hampshire has always been a unique state. In some cases it seems like the rest of the nation follows New Hampshire's example. It is very interesting to see how the founding, formation, life, and laws have shaped New Hampshire into what is has become over the years. New Hampshire was originally founded in 1623, only three years after the pilgrims landed in New World and began the Plymouth Plantation. Interestingly, New Hampshire was actually seven years older than Boston in Massachusetts Bay. New Hampshire was a unique colony, as it did not have a colonial charter, meaning it was never an official colony. Unlike

New Hampshire which had been governing itself for several years before was able to use its already existing charter as basis for their new constitution. This temporary constitution was adopted in 1776, and was based off of previous experiences in New Hampshire. "In the 1780's, when new Hampshire citizens were framing a permanent constitution, they were acting not only on the basis of their experiences with royal government, but also their experiences with the revolutionary government."(God Save the People- A New Hampshire History-Lorenca Consuelo Rosal(pg 175)) The people had learned many things that they planned to use as foundation for their new constitution. First, they had learned that majority rule without a bill of rights is dangerous to individual freedom. Also, they realized that it was important for people to have some control over the government. The importance of having a written plan of government to limit the government was noticed. Fourthly, the people understood that it was necessary to have a way to hold government officials accountable for wrongdoings. Finally, they figured out that it was also important to have a way to change without revolution. These basic principles were used to create the new constitution, and still remain in place today. The New Hampshire constitution also included a Bill of Rights. This bill consisted of 39 articles that listed not only the rights, but also the responsibilities of the people. In addition to these factors, the new constitution also established regulations on the government, and created a separation of powers through three different branches. These branches were called the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Interestingly, New Hampshire's state constitution very much reflects the later created U. S.