Draft: Essay #2

New Hampshire Sons of Liberty

Governor John Wentworth tried in vain to keep us aloof from the rebellious attitudes of our neighbors. Like a loving father trying to control wayward children from being led astray by hotheaded friends, Wentworth “never wavered in his conviction that Parliament had the right to legislate for the colonies, nor in his loyalty to the crown. He sincerely believed that armed conflict could be avoided by forbearance on both sides.” (NH, p.65)
By 1770, though, inhabitants of the inland portion of the province were receiving news and pressure from Massachusetts and Connecticut from which Wentworth could not insulate us. Exeter, where I live, “had become the center of disaffection for the more restless and impatient citizens.” (NH, 66)

When Wentworth became governor in 1767, New Hampshire was sparsely populated yet thriving, an agrarian and mercantile province of about 98 towns containing approximately 52,000 people. Portsmouth, the seat of his royal government, was a buzzing colonial metropolis. For generations, it had been the abode of royal officials and wealthy ship building enterprises. (RNH, 1) The social and political domination “by a seacoast oligarchy, in fact, was responsible for a great deal of the bitter sectionalism which prevailed within the colony.” (RNH, 1)

The three sections into which New Hampshire is roughly divided are the seacoast, the inland valley, and the frontier which coincides with the Connecticut River valley. The seacoast is only eighteen miles long, but it contains almost half our population. Not surprisingly, this prosperous and relatively conservative region has remained home to the largest portion of New Hampshire’s loyalists. Even some of these colonists, however, have long been resentful of Britain’s attempt to control the lucrative lumber industry (made possible by plentiful timber and briskly flowing rivers for powering sawmills). Giant white pine trees exported to England provided the British Royal Navy’s much needed masts for sailing ships. Britain tried to control New Hampshire’s dwindling supply of great trees by marking them and prohibiting anyone from cutting them down without a license. Colonists resented this attempt to deprive them of free use of their resources, and those who cut down marked trees when they could do so without being caught were among the number of coastal lumberman who sided with the patriots.

Not long ago, the frontier area was the scene of many a French and Indian raid, but now the farmers and lumberjacks there are glad that their focus with the rest of the world stems from the fact that the Connecticut River is New England’s chief artery for trade. Settled by men from Connecticut who are accustomed to extremely democratic government, the frontier has resented being given so little voice in our government. Yet her inhabitants have been so far from the arm of the law that “His Majesty’s name inspired no great emotion in their hearts.” (RNH, 3) Most of the patriots in this area are Claremont Episcopalians and holders of large royal land grants. (RNH, 52)

It is the central section of New Hampshire that breeds the most fervent patriots. The growing middle class of laborers – mechanics, artisans and tradesmen – form the backbone of the Sons of Liberty from this province. Of course our poorest colonists and debtors also side with the Revolutionaries, as their psychology is characterized by an attitude of discontent. (RNH, 3)