New Hampshire declared independence a full six months before most of the original 13 colonies.
On January 5th, 1776 New Hampshire adopted the first independent state constitution and declared independence. South Carolina followed on March 26th, Rhode Island on May 4th, Virginia on June 29th, and New Jersey on July 2nd.
The rest joined in the main formal Declaration of Independence.
New Hampshire started off the whole "freedom" thing, and it's no surprise it's the top freest state still today.