Chamberlin Free Public Library, 46 Main St. in Greenville, will present “Live Free or Die: The Contested History of the Words On Your License Plate” with Dan Billin Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m.

In 1969, when New Hampshire officials decided to put the state’s motto – “Live Free or Die” – on its license plates, many citizens viewed the act as an endorsement of the unpopular war in Vietnam and protested by covering up or altering the motto. In response, authorities cracked down -- arresting, fining and sometimes incarcerating those who engaged in duct-tape dissent. People appealed their convictions, sparking a legal contest over the First Amendment that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

New Hampshire native Dan Billin worked as a newspaper reporter in the state for 17 years. His years of  research brought to light detail about the long-forgotten tale of Noyes Academy and the Black students who sought an education in antebellum New Hampshire. He has now applied those same journalistic instincts to illuminating how putting the state motto on New Hampshire license plates kicked off a battle over the First Amendment.

This program is made possible by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.