On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire ratified the United States Constitution. As the ninth state to ratify, it made the Constitution go into effect. This is an important anniversary. However, some idiots claim that makes it New Hampshire’s “birthday.” They seem to think that rather than the state of New Hampshire letting the Constitution take effect, the Constitution brought New Hampshire into existence.

That erases a huge amount of history. The first settlements were established along the coast and Great Bay starting in 1623. In 1635, King Charles I issued a grant of the “Province of New Hampshire.” For a while Massachusetts claimed what is now southeastern New Hampshire. Things went back and forth until William and Mary declared New Hampshire a royal colony in 1691. It was the first state to draw up its own constitution, six months before the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration lists it as one of the “free and independent states.” It was one of the parties to the Articles of Confederation.

You can choose New Hampshire’s “birthday” from several historical events. I like April 18, the date of the provincial grant. By any measure, New Hampshire existed long before the U. S. Constitution.