Prepared in 1776, the constitution of New Hampshire is the nation's first written state constitution. The 1776 constitution was a brief 15 sentences, but it laid out a form of government dedicated to popular control and limited government powers that have remained a central theme of New Hampshire constitutional law to this day. The detail of the framing of the original state constitution —the first in the nation- provides a context for understanding and appreciatingthe traditions which has marked the state's political and constitutional history, even after 144 amendments and over 200 years. The New Hampshire State Constitution includes the full text of each article of the constitution and an analysis of each article's development. Susan E. Marshall includes a description of amendments to the text and references to cases decided by the New Hampshire Supreme Court. She offers a historical overview of the development and application of the New Hampshire constitution and provides a general constitutional history and an article-by-article commentary, including a discussion ofimportant cases. Also included are a bibliographical essay, table of cases, tables relating to constitutional conventions and amendments, and a general index, offering significant sources for further study. Previously published by Greenwood, this title has been brought back in to circulation by OxfordUniversity Press with new verve. Re-printed with standardization of content organization in order to facilitate research across the series. This title, as with all titles in the series, is set to join the dynamic revision cycle of The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States.The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important new series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to furtherresearch. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.