History

The State of Franklin

“The Revolutionary War was over and the Congress and all the states were very much in debt for war expenses Congress had proposed that the states should give their western lands to the general government and that Congress should sell these lands and pay all of the debts. The states agreed to this plan and in 1784 North Carolina ceded to the United States what is now the State of Tennessee and gave Congress two years in which to accept or reject the grant. This seemed at first to be all good enough but very soon facts were discovered that alarmed the people of Tennessee very much. There had been no suitable arrangement for a government during the two years that Congress might delay accepting. There had been no brigadier general appointed for the three counties and no one else could lawfully call out the soldiers. The Indians might attack the settlers at any time and kill and plunder as they pleased.”

“The people had no desire to live through two years of Indian butchery and lawlessness. They abused North Carolina roundly said that she cared nothing for her children west of the mountains, and had never been anything more than a stepmother to them at best. After saying as many bad things of their stepmother as they could think of, they determined to take care of themselves in their own way, without leave or license from the State of North Carolina or any one else.” (Source: A History of Tennessee from 1663 to 1914: For Use in Schools, Gentry Richard McGee, pp. 78-79)

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