New Hampshire State (pop., 2000: 1,235,786), northeastern U.S. One of the New Eng and states, it is bordered by Canada and the U.S. states of Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont; the Atlantic Ocean lies to the southeast. New Hampshire covers 9,283 sq mi (24,043 sq km); its capi¬ tal is Concord. The Connecticut River forms its western boundary with Vermont. The White Mountains in its central part contain Mount Wash¬ ington. The region was inhabited by Algonquin Indians (see Algonquian anguages) when the first English people settled near Portsmouth in 1623. The area came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts in 1641 and became a separate crown colony in 1679. It was the first colony to declare its independence from Britain in 1776. Following the nation’s establish¬ ment, the state grew rapidly. Agriculture flourished and manufacturing developed along the rivers. Portsmouth became a major shipbuilding cen¬ tre. The economy is now based primarily on manufacturing and tourism,
although dairy farming and granite quarrying are also important. Because it holds the nation’s earliest presidential primary, it has furnished the first testing ground for many candidacies. Dartmouth and the University of New Hampshire are two of the state’s prominent educational institutions.
New Haven City (pop., 2000: 123,626), south-central Connecticut, U.S. A port of entry on Long Island Sound, it was originally settled in 1638 and became part of the colony of Connecticut in 1665. It was the co-capital with Hartford until 1875. New Haven was sacked by loyalist forces during the American Revolution (1779), and during the American Civil War it was a centre of abolitionist activity (see abolitionism). A number of famous inven¬ tors made the city a centre of industrial technology, including Charles Goodyear, Eu Whitney, and Samuel F.B. Morse. It is the home of Yale Uni¬ versity and several other educational and cultural institutions.
New Hebrides See Vanuatu
New Ireland formerly Neu-Mecklenburg \n6i- , me-kl3n-,berg\ Island and province (pop., 1999 est.: 111,906), Bismarck Archipeago, Papua New Guinea. The island has an area of 3,340 sq mi (8,651 sq km) and is about 200 mi (320 km) long. The terrain is largely mountainous. The province includes many nearby smaller islands. It was discovered by Dutch navigators in 1616 but was little known before 1884, when it became part of a German protectorate. After World War I it was mandated to Australia. The island was occupied by the Japanese in World War II. When Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975, it became part of that country. Most of the inhabitants live in the north. Copra produc¬ tion dominates commercial development.
New Jersey State (pop., 2000: 8,414,350), eastern U.S. Lying on the Atlantic Ocean, it is bordered by New York, Delaware, and Pennsylva¬ nia. It covers 7,790 sq mi (20,176 sq km); its capital is Trenton. The Hud¬ son River forms its northeastern boundary; the De aware River, its western boundary. Before European colonization, the region was inhabited by Deaware Indian tribes. Although it was sighted by Giovanni Verrazzano and Henry Hudson, it was first settled by Dutch and Swedish traders. It was the site of numerous battles during the American Revolution, includ¬ ing one led by Gen. George Washington in 1776, after crossing the Dela¬ ware (see Battles of Trenton and Princeton). It was the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Between the Revolutionary and Civil wars, it underwent tremendous industrialization, abetted by the construction of canals and, later, railways. Although known as the “Garden State,” a name influenced by its 18th-century agricultural fertility, its economy is based primarily on manufacturing, and it has many research facilities and labo¬ ratories. Tourism, led by Atantic City, is also important. Chief cities include Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth.
New Mexico State (pop., 2000: 1,819,046), southwestern U.S. Bor¬ dered by Mexico and the U.S. states of Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona, it covers 121,598 sq mi (314,939 sq km); its capital is Santa Fe. In the west, it is crossed north-south by the Continental Divide. The Rio
Soap-tree yucca (Yucca elata) growing in the gypsum sand of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, U.S.
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Grande bisects the state and for a short distance forms the boundary with Texas. Human settlement in the area has probably spanned 10,000 years. Before the Navajo and Apache arrived in the 15th century, an agricultural Indian civilization had developed irrigation systems, pueblos, and cuff dwellings, whose ruins still dot the state. Spaniards from Mexico claimed the area for Spain in the 16th century, and in 1540 Francisco Vazquez de Coronado explored it. The first settlement was at Santa Fe in 1610. Mis¬ sionaries were active in the 1600s. It became part of Mexico in 1821 and was ceded to the U.S. in 1848 at the end of the Mexican War. The Ter¬ ritory of New Mexico was established by Congress in 1850. It became the 47th U.S. state in 1912 and retained its frontier image. World War II spurred economic and social change, bringing research facilities, includ¬ ing that at Los Alamos. The economy today is largely dependent on the export of raw materials and on federal government expenditures; oil and natural gas are also important. The University of New Mexico and a fine arts community are in Albuquerque.
New Model Army (1645) Army that won the English Civil Wars for Parliament. It was formed to provide a well-trained force drawn from all parts of England instead of the limited local militias. The new army also replaced the private armies raised by individual generals that lacked a unified command. Under Baron Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, the New Model Army won the Battle of Naseby and effectively ended the first phase of the Civil Wars.
New Nationalism American political policy espoused by Theodore Roosevelt. Influenced by Herbert Croly’s The Promise of American Life (1910), Roosevelt used the phrase in a speech in which he tried to reconcile the liberal and conservative wings of the Republican Party. New Nation¬ alism called for federal intervention to promote social justice and the eco¬ nomic welfare of the underprivileged. In 1912, as the presidential candidate of the Progressive Party, Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully on a plat¬ form based on the precepts of New Nationalism. See also Robert La Follette.
New Orleans City (pop., 2000: 484,674), southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Situated between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, it is the state’s largest city and a major deepwater port. Founded in 1718 by French colonist Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, it was ceded to Spain in 1763. In 1800 it was ceded back to France and three years later sold to the U.S. by Napoleon. Incorporated in 1805, it was the state capital from 1812 to 1849. During the American Civil War the city was captured and occupied by Union forces (1862). A notable tourist centre, its attractions include Mardi Gras and the French Quarter, a popular tourist area noted for its nightclubs and Creole architecture and cuisine. It is also a medical, indus¬ trial, and educational centre. It was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, when the levees protecting the city were breached and nearly all the city was flooded.
New Orleans, Battle of (1815) Battle between the U.S. and Britain during the War of 1812. Late in 1814 a British fleet of more than 50 ships commanded by Gen. Edward Pakenham (1778-1815) sailed into the Gulf of Mexico and prepared to attack New Orleans. Gen. Andrew Jack- son, commander of the U.S. Army of the Southwest, which consisted chiefly of militiamen and volunteers, fought the British regulars who stormed their position on Jan. 8, 1815. His troops were so effectively entrenched behind earthworks and the British troops so exposed that the fighting was brief, ending in a decisive U.S. victory, a British withdrawal, and the death of Gen. Pakenham. The battle was without military value, since the Treaty of Ghent ending the war had been signed in December, but the news had been slow to arrive. The victory nevertheless raised national morale, enhancing Jackson’s reputation as a hero and preparing his way to the presidency.