The State Motto of New Hampshire was adopted by the General Court in 1945. It is Probably the most well-known state motto partly because it speaks to an aggressive independence in the American Dream. The phrase comes from a toast written by General John Stark in 1809. Poor health forced Stark (A famous NH American Revolutionary war soldier) to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington and to send his toast by letter: “Live free or Die, Death is not the worst of evils”. The motto was enacted at the same time as the state emblem, and has been uttered by many a political candidate (every four years/ or less) at the first in the nation Presidential primary.