This is the ninth of a series column that will look at the history of all 50 States,
all 5 territories, and the Capital and the influence history has on our
current political environments. The aim of this column is to capture that
our country is not just red or blue, but rather many shades in between.
Each Lower 48 state’s current political landscape can be traced back to
its early settlement and geography and its particular involvement in the
Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the Civil Rights Era.
New Hampshire – The Granite State
Few states receive as much perennial attention as New Hampshire, one of several classic swing states that plays host to the crucial first-in-the-nation primary. An amalgam of New England culture in general, the Granite State has a rich history and political profile despite being the nation’s smallest swing state.
Early History and Revolution
New Hampshire’s establishment goes back to 1623, when sailor and merchant John Mason received a land grant to form fishing and trading camps. He named the colony after his home county of Hampshire, England. Fishing merchants established the first settlements in the colony, the first permanent one being in Dover, and a prominent one being Portsmouth, which was the state’s capital until 1774. Portsmouth straddles the small bit of coastline New Hampshire enjoys between Massachusetts and Maine.
The state would face land disputes with British-owned Quebec and the native population, putting it on the front of many conflicts. Its involvement in the French-Indian War in the 1750s put these alliances to the test, as native tribes supported both sides.
Perhaps the most iconic piece of Revolutionary history to which the state lays claim is that of Paul Revere’s famous “Midnight Ride.” The 55-mile trip from Boston to Portsmouth would warn of Fort William and Mary’s seizure by the British. In 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to declare its independence from England and also the first colony to have its own state constitution. The troops from the colony were critical during the Battle of Bunker Hill; almost all troops who fought there were said to have hailed from New Hampshire.
After the war, New Hampshire was the ninth and deciding state to ratify the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, it became the ninth state.
Civil War
Some of New Hampshire’s staunch Yankee characteristics come from a stint of control of the Know-Nothing party, a brief political movement that founded itself on Nativist American policy and people, resisting Irish immigration and the growing control of the Catholic church. The Know-Nothings promoted modernization, slowed immigration, reformed the tax system, increased spending on public schools, and denounced the expansion of slavery. After several cycles of victory for the Jacksonian Democrats, the 1855 Know-Nothing takeover would begin shifting the state right. The heavy Protestant and abolitionist lean of the state would cement it as a Republican stronghold early on.
The first African slaves in the state were brought to Portsmouth by the British in 1645. Overall, the state contained very few slaves and some blacks even had freedom by the time of the Revolution. Slavery was officially banned in the state in 1857. New Hampshire sent 35,000 troops to fight in the Civil War.
During this period, New Hampshire would also form some of its identity and legacy. The vibrant textile industry, itself supported by Southern slavery, would attract nearly a million French Canadians from Quebec and New Brunswick from the 1840-1930. Today, nearly 20% of New Hampshire’s population still claims French ancestry. Franklin Pierce (D) was born in New Hampshire and would serve as the 14th President from 1853-1857.
Industrialization and “State of Firsts”
New Hampshire’s economy was dominated by paper grain mills, textiles, shoemakers, and fishing. Manchester was one of the world leaders in textile production. Railroads aided industry and growth to the state, significantly expediting the trip from Boston. New Hampshire would begin to receive more business influence and immigration from Boston, a force that still politically influences the state today.
However, the state began to experience a perfect storm. The textile mills and shoe factories became outdated and removed from their markets. The emergence of the automobile and roads would make the railroads and tourism industry unprofitable, as they would bring less affluent tourists to the area.
The Great Depression sank the Northern textile industry over cheaper labor in the South. The state barely stayed afloat from government contracts in World War II, when the single largest employer was the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In 1944, the state hosted the Bretton Woods Conference, at which the American dollar was designated the standard of international exchange.
The 1950s saw a turning point for the state’s economy, which included machinery, electrical products, and later, computers. By the 1960s, New Hampshire became one of the fastest-growing states in the East.
New Hampshire has a proclivity to be a state of “firsts.” In addition to being the first state to formally declare independence from Britain, New Hampshire is also the first state to have a free public library (1833), organize a modern state lottery (1964), the first municipal recycling center in the U.S. (1974), the first state to install red and yellow variety traffic lights statewide and to recognize same-sex marriage “without a court order or the threat of one.” New Hampshire is also the site of the first trans-Atlantic telecommunications cable between Europe and North America (1874).
Geography
Owing to its small size, New Hampshire’s geography is fairly straightforward.
- First Congressional District: The smaller of the two, it includes Manchester, Portsmouth, Nashua and Dover. Much migration from Boston ends up here; the more Republican of the two.
- Second Congressional District: The larger of the two, anchored by the capital Concord, with most of the district sprawling forests, farmlands, and mill and factory towns. It includes the entire border with Vermont and extends north to Canada and the famed White Mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee; the more Democratic of the two.
Current Political Leanings
Due to early abolition and Protestant leanings, as well as the intrinsically libertarian “live free or die” spirit, New Hampshire was once one of the most Republican states in the country. From 1856 until 1988, the state would only vote Democrat six times, all but one in landslide elections. Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) was viewed an extremist in the 1964 election and President Lyndon Johnson’s (D-TX) campaign portrayed him a warmonger. New England’s sharp transition from a Republican stronghold to Democratic-leaning would be defined by the transitions in New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont. The liberal ideals that kept the state out of the Progressive fold during the Industrial Revolution, coupled with environmentalism, personal liberty and the small working-class towns that dot the state’s landscape, would begin to give the state overall to the Democratic party.
Surprisingly, the migration from Boston to the Granite State has made the southern part of the state more Republican. The attraction is mostly owed to New Hampshire being one of just nine states to not levy an income tax.
Ronald Reagan’s (R-CA) 68.66% margin in 1984 is the largest margin of victory for any GOP Presidential candidate in history. George Bush Sr.’s (R-TX) win in 1988 would be the last time a Republican would carry every county in the state and the last time the state would be decided by double digits. Bush’s fiscal conservatism would prove popular in the state, making it his second-strongest nationwide, after Utah.
Bill Clinton’s (D-AR) watershed 1992 election would mark a turning point for nearly a dozen states across the country, but none quite as prominent as those in New England. Since 1992, New Hampshire would only vote Republican once, for George Bush (R-TX) in 2000. Bill Clinton’s sound economic policy and moderate politics were attractive concepts to the state. In 2004, George Bush would become the first Republican to win a Presidential election without carrying New Hampshire.
As a demonstration of New Hampshire’s unbreakable Republican history, Barack Obama’s (D-IL) 2008 win would mark the first time since 1852 a Democrat swept all ten counties. Donald Trump’s (R-NY) working-class appeal would swing the state back to the right in 2016. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) won by just 0.4%, making it the closest state Trump did not win that year.
The crucial first-in-the-nation primary has massive implications for Presidential contests. The cities within the First District are must-visits for any statewide campaign. The early swing state primary can be make-or-break for many Presidential runs.
Despite the blue lean it has, the state is still highly competitive, and the GOP has a large ancestral foothold. 2016 marked the first time in history that the state’s entire Congressional delegation would be controlled by Democrats. 2016 also marks the last time, to date, that the GOP has had any Congressional representation in the state. The 424-member state legislature is the largest in the nation. Partisan control frequently changes hands and usually rests along a thin majority. New Hampshire is likely to retain its swing state status going forward.
