Teacher Resources
New Hampshire struck first — its militia seized Fort William and Mary in December 1774, months before Lexington, one of the earliest acts of armed resistance in the colonies.
The Context
Portsmouth was the colony's commercial heart — its port economy tied to the Atlantic trade that British tax policy threatened to strangle. When the royal governor tried to seize munitions at Fort William and Mary, Portsmouth's militia acted first.
Exeter became the seat of revolutionary government after the royal governor fled, building new institutions of self-governance without precedent and under enormous pressure. Together these two towns show students how a colony moved from commercial grievance to armed rebellion, and how the transition from colonial subjects to citizens was accomplished — imperfectly, urgently, in real time.
Recommended Sequence
Portsmouth → Exeter
3–4 class periods
Portsmouth's militia seized Fort William and Mary in December 1774, months before Lexington — one of the earliest acts of armed resistance in the colonies. By 1776, Exeter had become the seat of New Hampshire's new revolutionary government after the royal governor fled. Students trace how a colony moved from commercial grievance to armed rebellion and built new institutions in real time.
Town Resources
Complete teacher packets formatted for classroom printing — lesson plans, source packets, handouts, and quizzes.
7-10 · 2-3 class periods
Source Standards
Every source in our New Hampshire materials is evaluated using a three-tier credibility system. Tier 1 includes primary documents, National Park Service materials, and peer-reviewed scholarship. Teacher narratives contextualize sources — they don't replace them.