The Green Mountain Republic of Vermont

“The Green Mountain Republic of Vermont was formed after the Treason Trials. Even though it considered itself quite New English, it had had enough of the central government messing up, so it decided to form its own libertarian paradise up in the mountains, with an army of all volunteers and a fairly elected “Green Mountain People's Congress of Liberty” (no executive position was established, as the people worried it might become a dictatorship). There were minimal taxes, minimal government expenditure, minimal laws, and almost total anarchy. Hill clans took maximum power for themselves and invented “land rights” as a means with which to extort their neighbors. If one large family lived in a valley, and another family decided to homestead there, the firstlarge family could essentially tax the newcomers to live there. If the new family was of equal size to the “owners,” family feuds broke out. If the new family was bigger than the “owners,” then, in all likelihood, the “owners” would be murdered. The people lived in fear and terror of lawless neighboring clans murdering them, but at least they didn't have to pay taxes!
Making matters worse was Britain's consistent violation of Vermont's borders. Redcoats ventured in on routine “scavenging tours” in Green Mountain territory, and several illegal logging camps were set up by Canadian citizens. Finally, Vermont's militias mustered and drove out the loggers. King George thought briefly about outright invasion and recapture of the colony, but with the Napoleonic Wars unfolding in Europe, abandoned it, leading