State Motto Of New Hampshire
The Term “Live Free or Die,” Is The Official State Motto Of New Hampshire. It Was adopted in 1945 as World war II approached its end (the Old Man of the Mountain was also adopted at this time as the state emblem). The National Motto Of New Hampshire derives from a letter written by General John Stark on July 31, 1809. Stark was a New Hampshire–born war hero, having served as an officer in the British army during the French and Indian War and a major general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
Thirty-two years later, Stark, then in failing health, was invited to a reunion of Battle of Bennington veterans, but Stark was not well enough to travel. He sent a letter in reply (the full text of which can be read in his son Caleb Stark’s 1860 book, Memoir and Official Correspondence of Gen. John Stark), noting that he’d never forget the troops he commanded in Bennington: “They were men that had not learned the art of submission, nor had they been trained to the art of war. But our astonishing success taught the enemies of liberty that undisciplined freemen are superior to veteran slaves.” As an afterword to the letter, Stark included a brief passage to be read as a toast to the veterans: “Live free or die. Death is not the greatest of evils.”
New Hampshire State Nickname List
The Granite State
Granite is the state rock of New Hampshire. The state rock comes in a variety of colors including red, black, blue and gray and is used particularly for building. There are extensive granite formations and quarries.
The White Mountain State and the Switzerland of America
The White Mountain State and Switzerland of America reflect the magnificent mountains of New Hampshire and its region. The White Mountains is the name given to the vast mountain range that goes through the northern areas covering nearly a quarter of the region.
The Mother of Rivers
The Mother of Rivers is a reference to the rivers that originate from the White Mountain range. The interstate rivers are the Connecticut River, the Saco River, the Androscoggin River, the Pemigewasset River, and the Merrimack River.
