The Granite State: A History of New Hampshire

A Sweeping History of the Great State of New HampshireFrom the raid on Fort William and Mary four months before Lexington and Concord to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary that transforms the state every four years, New Hampshire has always insisted on doing things its own way. This compelling narrative traces the Granite State's evolution from colonial outpost through textile powerhouse to its current identity crisis, exploring how a small, stubborn state has wielded outsized influence in American history.Daniel Hardy chronicles the Amoskeag mills that made Manchester the world's largest textile producer, the waves of Irish and French Canadian immigrants who transformed mill towns, the conservation movement that saved the White Mountains, and the tax rebellion that became a governing philosophy. He examines both triumphs and failures: the state's crucial role as the ninth to ratify the Constitution, the devastating collapse of its industrial base, and its ongoing struggle to balance fierce independence with the demands of modern governance.Written with clarity and insight,The Granite Statereveals how New Hampshire's distinctive character—its town meetings, its resistance to taxation, its "Live Free or Die" stubbornness—both defines and constrains it as it confronts twenty-first-century challenges that respect neither state boundaries nor libertarian philosophy.Read more