Live Free or Die

From Free Talk Live

"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of New Hampshire, adopted by the state Legislature in 1945. It is probably the best-known of all state mottos, partly because it speaks to an aggressive independence inherent in the American dream, and partly because of its contrast to the mild sentiments usually found in such slogans.

The phrase comes from a toast written by Gen. John Stark on July 31, 1809. Poor health had forced Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War, to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington. Instead he sent the toast, which said in full: "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils."