More on the story of what became known as The Peaceful Collective Republic of Goldman Mill, aka The Microstate of Peace:
In 1887, Josiah Foster and Emmanuel Goldman, lifelong friends from garment-making families in New York City, decided they had had enough with the violent ways of the United States and its citizens as they grew up in post-Civil War society. The duo and their wives developed a plan to find uncharted land and to establish an independent community that would be devoted to the practice and study of peace and pacifism. For two years, the Goldmans and Fosters set about finding like-minded men and women interested in departing a violent-minded homeland and starting fresh a new land of peace.
By 1889, nearly 150 households (about 500 men, women and children) had been recruited and had invested and pooled funds for the purpose of building the new society. Montreal banker C. Lysander Tate (who had a taste for nonviolent revolution and a long-held idea of his own for a pacifist-socialist collective) served as finance minister; artist and architect Helena Gomez of Mexico City was brought in to oversee municipal planning; constitutional scholars Clive and Prunella James of London, and abolitionist and attorney Frederick Johnson of the US joined to help draft the colony’s governing documents. Jamaican pastor Herbert Sims, British rabbi Miles Liebman-Chase, and Irish Roman Catholic priest Nathaniel Connell amassed a cadre of pacifist clerics from many faiths for the cause. The Fosters headed the building effort, and the Goldmans’ vast research in the areas of peace and pacifism led to the philosophical backbone that gave the project intellectual and spiritual heft that won the devotion of the impending colonists.
After a three-year long search, suitable land was found, an uncharted island with two satellite microislands near the shores of the US and Canada, but not under the sovereignty of either nation. In 1890, three separate waves of self-proclaimed Wandering Peacemen, led by the Goldmans and Fosters, traveled to the site, pitched tents, and began building their new society. On August 13 of that year, what was called the Goldman Mill Collective released a statement to the world asserting its existence as a pacifist city-state and declaring that The Peaceful Republic of Goldman Mill, aka The Microstate of Peace, was an independent country in its own right.
The new Microstate of Peace offered its services to the world as a beacon of peace, as a trading partner, as a provider of peace education, as an olive branch to the world. By 1895, through the seemingly endless travel and tireless diplomatic work of ambassador Richard Goldman, Goldman Mill had been recognized officially and welcomed into the world community by the heads of state of the United States, Canada and most European nations. (That recognition as a state de jure and de facto was reaffirmed in 1945 by the newly formed International Court of Justice and the United Nations Security Council.) As its closest neighbors, the US and Canada are regular trade partners with The Mill and offer certain protections. In return, Goldman Mill to this day provides Canada and, to a lesser extent the United States (since the emergence of Trump), diplomatic and humanitarian assistance to the in times of conflict. Similar arrangements also are in place with the United Kingdom, Japan, and the European Union.
Goldman Mill is a collective pacifist-democratic socialist republic governed by the Constitution drafted by Chaya Cohen Goldman, Clive and Prunella James, Frederick Johnson, and Genevieve Cooke Foster. The document was approved unanimously by all the founding households of Goldman Mill. The Constitution states that all governmental power rests in the people as represented by a state legislative council of 12 members who are chosen via elections in which all adults aged 21 and over must take part every two years; one non-voting youth member between the age of 14 and 20 is chosen each year in a special election of all citizens 13 and up. (Adult council members may serve no more than two consecutive terms and four terms overall; these positions are part-time and pay a nominal stipend.) The 13th adult member is the head of state, and as the initial idea, the foundational principles, and the guiding vision for the colony came from the Goldman family, the Millers agreed that a member of that clan would hold the spot in perpetuity. The founding families also chose the name of Goldman Mill to honor the family (Josiah Foster made that suggestion, which was adopted enthusiastically by the others, so grateful were they to have the possibility of a life in a land of peace and the wise Goldmans to represent them.) The head of state, called Mayor (the citizens found the idea of a “president” or “prime minister” distasteful; “prime minister” is used for international relations), would serve as the full-time paid leader of the national government and its administration, would advise council in debates but vote only to break ties, and would serve as the face of the nation to the world. (A diplomatic corps led by an official ambassador assists in global outreach.)
The present Mayor and Prime Minister is Regina Goldman, who took power at the retirement of her father, Jacob Goldman. As mandated by law, she serves until the retirement age of 60, unless she relinquishes the role earlier. A successor is chosen from within the Goldman clan by the elected state council. At founding, all adult colonists participated in approving the initial batch of laws; future laws were and continue to be drafted and approved by the elected council (citizens do have the right to propose laws through an initiative process).
The founders also established a peace enforcement agency, the Goldman Mill Gardai. The Gardai work without weapons and keep the peace through pacifist means.
Citizens receive a basic minimum income and a benefits package. Each able adult can earn additional income through employment or enterprise and also gives a minimum of 10 hours per week to community service. The government is funded through taxation of income beyond BMI, peace education services marketed throughout the world, Pax University tuition fees, donations from pacifists worldwide, tourism, and proceeds from collective-owned businesses operating in the national and international markets. Those funds cover a host of government-provided services including health care, access to the town shuttle, education and child care, food coop membership, water/power (it runs on a solar-powered electrical grid; citizens must pay for amounts used over standard allotment)/sewer, Gardai, internet, tv/radio/satellite service, telephone, basic housing (larger/more elaborate properties levy a surcharge), employment placement service, arts society membership, and more.
The economy mainly relies on industry, tourism, peace education, services and exports. Goldman Mill has a highly stable economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world, no national debt, and a budget surplus.
After The Mill’s first year, 120 homes, five farms, a rooming house, a textile enterprise (Foster’s Clothiers), and a windmill- and steam-powered factory producing needed items and energy stood proudly in the small township. For the first time, residents celebrated collective holidays: Election Day (July 13) and Founders Day (August 13). As the years and decades passed, the town grew slowly in number, but rapidly in strength and solidarity.
The people of Goldman Mill weathered numerous storms, figurative and otherwise, but — as the founders surmised — they thrived in their hamlet far from the mainstream world. One of the darkest times in The Mill was the period covering the world wars. Pacifist by charter, the microstate decided to assist in the cause offering medical care and on the front lines in all arenas of the wars. Humanitarian assistance for casualties of war came from numerous GM institutions. And more than one GM effort sent Millers to Europe to get targeted communities out of Nazi Germany. Officially, Goldman Mill honors those who give their lives in service to a higher cause. That includes soldiers of integrity (who are we to dictate that they think like us? – Gandhi says to meet people where they are) as well as those Millers who make the ultimate sacrifice through humanitarian efforts during wartime and peacetime. We also honor the conscientious objectors who stand for principle and for peace. Today, The Mill is a beacon for the world, showing how people can live and work cooperatively and communally for the betterment of all. The Microstate of Peace has more than 45,000 citizens and counting plus a rising number of resident aliens, so it is still quite small, but that is exactly what the citizens here want.
Through the service of current mayor Regina Goldman and every member of the collective, Goldman Mill continues to grow, thrive, and do good. Our children are protected, lovingly raised, and stringently educated. Everyone plays a part in making the nation successful. Citizen action and community service are part and parcel of everyday life. Diversity is celebrated. Justice and equality reign. And Mill residents are remarkable, dedicated stewards of the blessings they share. They know none of it could have been possible if not for the bravery and forward thinking of the Goldmans and the other founding families. We Millers love our town, our country, and are so grateful to those who created it. We pray the founders look down on us from heaven with pride — heaven knows we are endlessly proud of them.