There has been a lot of discussion recently about the ‘Free State Project’ and ‘Free Staters’ below is some AI information about the project.
The Free State Project (FSP) is a political migration and community-building movement founded in 2001 with the goal of concentrating people who favor limited government and individual liberty in New Hampshire.
How it works
The basic idea was:
- Recruit 20,000 people willing to move to New Hampshire.
- Concentrate those people in one state.
- Have them participate in civic life—businesses, community organizations, local government, elections, activism, etc.
- Use that concentration to promote a society in which government has a much smaller role, particularly in protecting life, liberty, and property.
New Hampshire was selected by a vote of FSP participants in 2003. The organization announced that it had reached the original 20,000 Statement-of-Intent signers in February 2016, which it called “triggering the move.”
What does “Free Stater” mean?
A Free Stater generally refers to someone participating in the Free State Project or identifying with its movement.
Importantly, there isn’t a single required political party. The FSP says its participants include libertarians, constitutional conservatives, classical liberals and others who identify with its concept of liberty.
The current FSP also says the organization itself is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates, financially support candidates, or endorse or oppose legislation. Individual participants, however, can independently become politically active, run for office, endorse candidates, campaign, or work through other organizations.
Why is it significant in New Hampshire?
This is where the distinction between the FSP organization and individual Free Staters becomes important.
The FSP itself isn’t a political party. But individual participants have become involved in:
- New Hampshire House and Senate elections
- Local government
- Libertarian organizations
- Political campaigns
- Activist organizations
- Policy advocacy
- Businesses and community organizations
The FSP’s own history records its first participant elected to the NH House in 2006, followed by a larger wave of Free Staters elected to the legislature in 2010.
Academic researchers have consequently studied the FSP as a significant libertarian political-migration movement in New Hampshire.
One important historical wrinkle
The project’s origins are somewhat more explicitly political than the current FSP description might suggest.
FSP founder Jason Sorens originally proposed concentrating 20,000 libertarians in a small state where they could acquire substantial political influence. NHPR’s historical account notes that the original 2001 concept also contemplated the possibility of substantially greater state autonomy, including discussion of secession.
The current FSP describes itself primarily in terms of liberty, limited government, activism, entrepreneurship and mutual support, rather than secession.
For your Londonderry research
Given what you’ve been researching, the useful question isn’t simply “Is someone a Free Stater?” It is to distinguish among several different levels of connection:
FSP participant → moved to NH through FSP → attends FSP events → affiliated with a particular liberty organization → endorsed by NHLA or another organization → involved in a political campaign → elected official.
Those are not interchangeable, and evidence of one doesn’t automatically establish the others.
Related Links:
Free State Project