Happy Secession Day! Why N.H. Secession from the U.K. Was Awesome and Totally Justified

 Jason Sorens

On this day, we celebrate other North American states’ following New Hampshire’s lead and declaring independence from the United Kingdom. Contrary to the contrarians, New Hampshire secession from the U.K. was awesome and totally justified for several reasons, to wit:

1. New Hampshire abolished slavery in its 1785 constitution, 51 years before the U.K. followed suit.
2. Classical liberals the world over cheered on American independence. Perhaps they knew something today’s gnat-biters do not.
3. The independent U.S. managed to avoid fighting Napoleon, which it would not have been able to do under the British yoke. That made the Louisiana Purchase possible and avoided most of the devastating economic and social impacts of those lengthy wars.
4. The U.S. example of successful liberalism continued to inspire European reformers and made 19th-century reforms possible there.
5. The British Empire did this sort of thing to the Irish shortly after the American War of Independence. Such a nice, sweet, genteel, and cute little monarchy, nay?