Ever since the COVID pandemic, people have reevaluated their lives from how they work to where they live. Not only did people flee cities, they also left locked-down blue states for open red states. This migration will have enduring effects on the composition and politics of the entire nation¹.

However, the COVID migration is not unique. History is full of mass migrations, both voluntary and involuntary. In every case, immigrants have irrevocably changed the culture, demographics, and politics of the destination. Why not use mass migration to concentrate a dispersed minority into localized majorities? As COVID showed, there is nothing stopping Americans from moving within the Union. Let’s look at some historical examples and their incredible successes.

Migration to Build Nation

Zionism is the most well known example. Since the fall of Israel to the Romans, Jewish people were widely dispersed and without a nation for over a thousand years². Long before the WWII, Zionism sought to create a Jewish state via mass migration.

At the nadir, Jews made up around 1% of Palestine. By the beginning of WWI, they were almost 15% of the population. By the outbreak of WWII, Jewish people accounted for roughly 30% of the people³. Of course, this trend was supercharged by the devastating outcome of the Great War. By the founding of modern Israel in May of 1949, Jews were a super majority.

Unfortunately, the transition from minority to majority did not happen peacefully. Instead, war forcefully removed the native Arabs and Palestinians from their lands. Known as the Nakba, this tragic and mostly forgotten atrocity was the terrible conclusion of WWII and the Zionism movement⁴.

Obviously, the conditions that lead to the formation of Israel are historically unique. However, it is a lesson that a dispersed and determined minority can migrate to an area with the ultimate goal of forming their own country. It is my opinion that had WWII never occurred, the Zionist migration would have eventually created a majority that would have resulted in a peaceful formation of a Jewish State.

Regional Migration

Another religious migration occurred, but this time within the United States. Similar to Jews, Mormons were a persecuted minority since their origination in 1830. Lead by Joseph Smith, the group moved to Ohio and then Missouri. At each stop, Christians in the area did not welcome the arrival of the newcomers. In fact, tensions were so high that war broke out⁵.

The group continued its migration. Next was Illinois. Hopeful for a new beginning, they founded the town of Nauvoo. But after the assassination of their leader, the Mormons left for good. They headed west in 1846, left America behind, and finally settled in Utah, then part of Mexico⁶.

Once in Utah, the Mormons prospered. Without the burden of a conflicting Christian majority, the group founded Salt Lake city under the leadership of Brigham Young⁷. From there, the territory became part of the United States at the conclusion of the Mexican American war in 1848. Finally in 1896, Utah became the first majority Mormon State.⁸.

In modern times, Utah remains predominately Mormon. Its politics are vastly different than the surrounding states. The religious influence on its politics is unmistakable. Utah’s laws mirror Mormon values, which would be impossible for a group of their size if not for concentrating into a single state.

Local

At the local level, there are countless examples across the globe. When ethnic groups migrate to another country, they almost always concentrate in small areas. For example, most major cities around the world have a Chinatown. Concentration helps create a local majority, which has countless benefits. These areas have shared values, culture, language, race, and religion. Additionally, by controlling a majority of the voting, ethnic groups are free to elected members of their group and pass laws favorable to their values.

The Way Forward

These migrations are examples of how concentration leads to political control at the local, state, and national level. If libertarian ideas are ever going to flourish, then it will be due to political concentration. Without it, politicians will pander to the majority of voters and overshadow any attempt at laissez-faire government.

If 10% of the United States are libertarians, then this politically irrelevant minority accounts for roughly 30 million people. It is time this minority recognizes that remaining dispersed is a hopeless endeavor. Even if only 10% of them are willing to migrate, then that is still 3 million Americans, which is more than enough to create local majorities.

Of course, the Free State Project figured this out years ago. It is a great example of how migration can affect state level politics. But this shouldn’t be the only migration. Libertarians need local, state, and national migration movements (see Switzerland). Regardless of where you live, there should be somewhere nearby that embraces liberty, self-ownership, and limited government.

Migration with a Purpose

At the local level, libertarians need to identity a county in their state for migration. Good candidates will have small populations and stable local governments with limited tax revenue. Since moving across the country can be difficult, migrating to a designated county within the same state is a good alternative for those with family or local ties. Once political control is established in a given county, libertarians can privatize schools, massively cut taxes and regulations, and relax drug enforcement.

At the state level, New Hampshire / FSP is already a good migration destination. However, it is my opinion that the United States is large enough to have multiple destinations. I would especially like to see projects with at least one western state and one southern state. This gives people better regional and cultural options than just one state in the northeast. Speaking myself, moving to the northeast would be culturally difficult, maybe even torturous.

Finally, for enduring freedom, the best option is a free country. However, without any realistic options, this strategy should be considered a long-term / multi-generation approach. It is an ideal that should be worked towards, but not at the expense of local and state level migrations.

Concordia

Concordia, There Must be a Better Way

In the book, Concordia, There Must be a Better Way, a team of dedicated pioneers establishes a new nation. They take the more difficult route of finding unoccupied land and starting from scratch. However, instead of fighting with an established citizenry, the land is completely unoccupied, which gives them the freedom to comprehensively redesign the state.

What would you do if you had the opportunity to start from scratch? How would you balance freedom, liberty, and justice, while assuring that investors are rewarded for taking a risk on your enterprise.

To found out what happens, buy the book now on Amazon. It is an exciting novel that challenges your assumptions and entertains you in the process.