President of the Free State Project, 2011-2016
I calculated that, all things being equal, we would Trigger the Move in 2018. With five years for signers to move, it would be 2023–and I would be in my fifties!–before I would see the full effects of our historic mass migration movement.
I knew I wanted to do it sooner, as a firm believer in “exerting MY fullest practical effort,” a line from our Statement of Intent. I knew, based on my own actions and those of other early movers, that concentrating liberty activists together in one geographic area worked, that the tide could be turned, that principled human action could, and did, make a difference in expanding liberties in New Hampshire.

It is important to note WHY. I have always held the opinion that if we could get the concept of the Free State Project in front of a larger audience, more people would bite. And I was right. Look, the Free State Project is not everyone’s cup of tea, not everyone wants to LIVE their principles, but a large number of people are dissatisfied with the direction this country is heading–71% according to a recent poll cited on Politico–and 49% of those people expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government, 29% going so far as to say they were “angry.”
Some people just want to sit around and complain–or, apparently, vote for Trump. Others seek solutions. They want to DO SOMETHING. And that’s ultimately what the Free State Project is about: ACTION. Upping and moving to one area to concentrate principled liberty activists together to affect change. As our slogan says: Liberty in OUR Lifetime.
You may be wondering what the future of the Free State looks like? We will continue to solicit signers, and we will be encouraging all past participants to move. Now, I know the question you all want to ask is, how many will actually come? First, 10% have ALREADY come, without the move even being triggered. Second, it’s difficult to speculate at this time, but the goal remains 20,000 movers. Finally, I believe, if we build it, they will come.
As we continue to build on our early, impressive successes in the Granite State, the federal government will continue its brazen overreach, whether it is police state tactics like national surveillance and police militarization, or the unconstitutional wars taking a toll on millions of innocent lives across the world, or them trying to get their grubby little paws on OUR internet. As more people awaken to this reality, more people will seek solutions, which life in New Hampshire as part of the Free State offers.
In the future, we will see the expansion of personal and economic freedoms here. People somehow seem wary of the notion that freedom works, but what if New Hampshire can lead the way? If autobahns work in Germany, why can’t they work here? If pot legalization works in Amsterdam and Colorado, why can’t it work here? If gambling works in Monaco–or, apparently, as long as the government runs it, like the Lotto–why can’t it work here? If deregulated markets keep Hong Kong competitive, why can’t we see more of the same here? If unfavorable tax burdens are forcing people and companies to leave certain states, why not welcome them to New Hampshire and build the Silicon Millyard right here?
In ten to twenty years, I know New Hampshire will stand as a wealthy, prosperous, autonomous example–a beacon of liberty–for the rest of the world to emulate. The future for the Free State Project in New Hampshire looks bright… First New Hampshire, then the world!
This article was taken from a speech was delivered on February 3, 2016, when the Free State Project triggered the move.