How it began
Settling in Backcountry Tennessee The State of Franklin was comprised of backcountry communities that grew exponentially at the close of the American Revolution. (1) Settlement began around 1768 as early pioneers in search of a new life and fertile farm lands crossed the mountains into the area which is now East Tennessee. (2) The majority of migrants to the area came from different areas over time, but mostly Virginia and North Carolina, because of better road access. However, some even came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and approximately 83% were English, 11% were Scots-Irish, and 2% were Irish. (3)
Settlement life Most of the early settlers came in groups with friends or families. Once there they depended upon each other for help. Frontier settlements, built near forts, were part of larger communities, where whites and blacks (whether free or slave) worked together for the sake of security. The settlers largely focused on economic prosperity above all else. They cleared land in order to farm cotton, tobacco, and corn, transported and sold goods, and built industries around the region’s natural resources. The activities of the settlers transformed the landscape and had a dramatic impact on the lives of Indians. (4)
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vying for a government
By 1784, the region had expanded economically and by population, as some were pushed out and by legal or financial difficulties and many others were pulled in by economic possibilities. The residents of the backcountry wanted a frontier government in order to "manage land affairs and faciliatate governance of the colony." They wanted to do so because of threats from Native Americans, inadequate local legal systems, and revolutionary conflicts. The settlers were called "Wataguans" and submitted a petition to the North Carolina General Assembly requesting to be annexed, and the petition was approved. It became Washington County, which later became part of the State of Franklin. (5)
The Watauga Association: How it became Franklin
The residents of the Tennessee Valley backcountry regions were largely united after collectively experiencing economic expansion, marginalization, and war. However, a separatist movement within the region polarized the rich and poor classes, which led to the Franklin Assembly attempting to separate from the state of North Carolina through the Cession Act and a declaration of independence from "negligent" North Carolina. (6)
(1) Kevin T. Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin: America's First Secession, New Directions in Southern History (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2009), [Pages 18-35].
(2) State of Franklin, Tennessee 4 Me, accessed February 8, 2016, http://www.tn4me.org/article.cfm/a_id/265/minor_id/82/major_id/26/era_id/3.
(3) Barnhart, John D. “The Tennessee Constitution of 1796: A Product of the Old West”. (The Journal of Southern History 9.4, 1943) [pages 532–548].
(4) State of Franklin, Tennessee 4 Me.
(5) Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin, [Pages 18-35].
(6) Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin, [Pages 72-90].
(2) State of Franklin, Tennessee 4 Me, accessed February 8, 2016, http://www.tn4me.org/article.cfm/a_id/265/minor_id/82/major_id/26/era_id/3.
(3) Barnhart, John D. “The Tennessee Constitution of 1796: A Product of the Old West”. (The Journal of Southern History 9.4, 1943) [pages 532–548].
(4) State of Franklin, Tennessee 4 Me.
(5) Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin, [Pages 18-35].
(6) Barksdale, The Lost State of Franklin, [Pages 72-90].