State of Franklin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The State of Franklin (Frankland) |
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| August 1784 – December 1788 | |||||||||
 The state of Franklin highlighted on a map of Tennessee |
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| Capital | Provisional Jonesborough, August 1784 – December 1785 |
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| Area | |||||||||
| • Coordinates | 36°10′N 82°49′W / 36.167°N 82.817°W | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Republic / Organized, extralegal territory | ||||||||
| "Governor" (President) | |||||||||
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• December 1784 – December 1788
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President/Governor Col. John Sevier | ||||||||
| Speaker of the Senate | |||||||||
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• December 1784 – December 1788
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Landon Carter | ||||||||
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• Speaker of the House
August 1784 – June 1785 |
William Cage | ||||||||
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• Speaker of the House
June 1785 – December 1788 |
Col. Joseph Hardin | ||||||||
| Legislature | Congress of Greeneville | ||||||||
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• Upper house
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Senate | ||||||||
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• Lower House
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House of Representatives | ||||||||
| Historical era | post American Revolution | ||||||||
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• North Carolina cedes the Washington District to federal government
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April 1784 | ||||||||
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• Secedes from North Carolina and blocks federal government claims; Franklin proclaimed
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23 August 1784 | ||||||||
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• Petition for Frankland statehood sent to Congress
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May 16, 1785 | ||||||||
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• Provisional name changed to "Franklin"
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December 24, 1785 | ||||||||
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• Disbanded; and re-acquired by North Carolina
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March–September 1788 1788 | ||||||||
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• Area is designated part of the Southwest Territory
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1790 | ||||||||
| Political subdivisions | Counties | ||||||||
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| Today part of | East Tennessee, United States | ||||||||
The State of Franklin was an unrecognized state that existed for a short time in what is now East Tennessee, United States. It was formed in 1784 from land that North Carolina had offered to the Continental Congress to help pay off debts from the American Revolutionary War. The people who lived there wanted Franklin to become the 14th state of the new United States.
Franklin's first capital was Jonesborough. After 1785, its government moved to Greeneville. For a while, Franklin ran its own government right next to North Carolina's government. Franklin was never officially accepted into the United States. This "extra-legal" state lasted for about four and a half years. After that, North Carolina took full control of the area again.
The creation of Franklin was unique. It happened because North Carolina offered land to Congress (a cession). But when Congress didn't act on the offer, and North Carolina took the land back, the people living there decided to break away (a secession) and form their own state.
Contents
Why People Wanted a New State
The idea for a new state in the west came from Arthur Campbell and John Sevier. They believed that the towns west of the Appalachian Mountains should become a separate state.
Campbell wanted a larger state that included parts of Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. Sevier, however, wanted a smaller state, just the eastern part of the old Washington District in North Carolina.
Many people on the frontier supported the idea. But Virginia's governor, Patrick Henry, didn't want his state to lose land. He passed a law to stop anyone from trying to create a new state from Virginia's territory. After this, Sevier and his followers changed the name of their proposed state to "Franklin." They hoped to get support from Benjamin Franklin.
North Carolina's Land Offer
Why the Land Was Offered
After the American Revolutionary War, the United States Congress was deeply in debt. In April 1784, North Carolina offered to give Congress about 29 million acres of land. This land was located between the Allegheny Mountains and the Mississippi River. It was a large part of what was known as the Western Counties or the Washington District. North Carolina hoped this land would help pay off its war debts.
The offer came with a condition: Congress had two years to accept responsibility for the land. But Congress was slow to act. This left the western settlements of North Carolina on their own, especially when dealing with the Cherokee people. Many Cherokee had not yet made peace with the new United States.
The people living on the frontier were worried. They feared that Congress, needing money, might even sell their land to another country like France or Spain.
North Carolina Takes Back Its Offer
A few months later, a new group of lawmakers in North Carolina looked at the situation again. They realized the land couldn't be used to pay Congress's debts right away. They also thought they might lose money from future land sales. So, North Carolina took back its offer and said the land was theirs again.
North Carolina's lawmakers ordered courts to be held in the western counties. They also planned to create a group of soldiers for defense and asked John Sevier to lead them.
Starting a New State
The people on the frontier were very unhappy with North Carolina's actions. They wanted to create their own safe and independent state. On August 23, 1784, leaders from the North Carolina counties of Washington, Sullivan, Spencer (now Hawkins County), and Greene met in Jonesborough. They declared that their lands were now independent of North Carolina.
They elected their own leaders. John Sevier became governor, though he was hesitant at first. Landon Carter became speaker of the Senate, and William Cage was the first speaker of the House of Representatives. David Campbell became a judge.
The leaders met again in Jonesborough in December to write a constitution. They wanted a constitution that would not allow lawyers, doctors, or preachers to be elected to the legislature. However, the people voted against this constitution. So, the area continued to follow the rules of North Carolina's state constitution for a while.
Trying to Become a U.S. State
On May 16, 1785, a group from Franklin sent a request to Congress asking to become a state. Seven states voted to accept "Frankland" as the 14th state. But this was not enough votes. The Articles of Confederation required two-thirds of the states to agree to add new states.
The next month, the Franklin government met to discuss their options. They also elected Joseph Hardin as the new speaker of the House. To gain more support, the leaders changed the official name of the area to "Franklin," named after Benjamin Franklin. Sevier even wrote to Benjamin Franklin asking for his help. But Franklin politely declined, saying he didn't know enough about their situation.
Franklin as an Independent Republic
Franklin continued to disagree with North Carolina over taxes and protection. After failing to become a U.S. state, Franklin started acting like its own independent country. Greeneville was named the new capital. This was only a few blocks away from where North Carolina's government was operating.
The first legislature in Greeneville met in December 1785. They adopted a permanent constitution called the Holston Constitution, which was very similar to North Carolina's. John Sevier also wanted a Franklin state flag, but it was never designed.
Franklin set up its own courts and added five new counties. They also set taxes and salaries for officials. People used a barter system for trade, meaning they paid debts with things like corn, tobacco, apple brandy, and animal skins. Governor Sevier was often paid in deer hides! Money from the U.S. or other countries was also accepted. For two years, citizens didn't have to pay taxes. But without much money or a strong economy, development was slow and often confusing.
Relations with Native Americans
The new Franklin government made peace treaties with most Native American tribes in the area. One exception was the Chickamauga Cherokee. The Cherokee still claimed ownership of much of the land in southern Franklin, even though white settlers lived there. This was confirmed by the 1785 Treaty of Hopewell with the U.S. government.
In 1786, Samuel Wear helped Franklin negotiate its own treaty, the Treaty of Coyatee. This treaty confirmed an earlier one, the Treaty of Dumplin, which Franklin had made with the Cherokee. The new treaty allowed white settlement to expand almost as far south as the Little Tennessee River. The Cherokee did not officially give up their claim to this land to the U.S. until the 1791 Treaty of Holston. Even then, fighting continued for years.
The End of Franklin
Franklin began to decline in 1786. Some important residents and supporters started to support North Carolina again. Until this point, Franklin had not received help from the U.S. army or the North Carolina militia. In late 1786, North Carolina offered to forgive all past taxes if Franklin would rejoin it. When Franklin rejected this offer in 1787, North Carolina sent troops led by Col. John Tipton. North Carolina then set up its own courts and government in Jonesborough, right next to Franklin's.
Battle of Franklin
In 1787, the "Franklinites" (people from Franklin) kept trying to expand their land westward. They took land from Native American groups. The border between settlers and Native Americans often changed during the Cherokee–American wars. The last meeting of the Franklin legislature was in September 1787.
By the end of 1787, people in the area were divided in their loyalties. This led to a conflict in February 1788. A North Carolina sheriff, Jonathan Pugh, was ordered to take some of Governor Sevier's property to pay taxes that North Carolina said Sevier owed. The property included several slaves, who were taken to Tipton's home.
On February 27, Governor Sevier arrived at Tipton's house with over 100 men. During a heavy snowstorm on February 29, Colonel George Maxwell arrived with more men to help Tipton. After a short fight, Sevier and his men went back to Jonesborough. Some men were captured or hurt on both sides, and three men were killed.
Final Struggles
In late March 1788, the Chickamauga, Chickasaw, and other tribes began attacking American settlements in Franklin. A desperate Sevier tried to get a loan from the Spanish government. With help from James White, he even tried to put Franklin under Spanish rule. North Carolina officials did not want any foreign country to gain power in Franklin. They arrested Sevier in August 1788.
Sevier's supporters quickly freed him from jail. In February 1789, Sevier and the last people who supported the "Lost State" promised their loyalty to North Carolina. North Carolina then sent its militia to help fight the Cherokee and Chickasaw.
Lesser Franklin
After the State of Franklin broke apart in February 1789, some people still wanted a separate state. This was mainly in Sevier County, south of the French Broad River. The people there knew that only Franklin had recognized their land claims. Both North Carolina and the U.S. government supported the Cherokee's claims from the Treaty of Hopewell. They considered the settlers in this area to be "squatters" (people living on land without permission).
This led to the creation of a "Lesser Franklin" government. It had rules similar to an earlier agreement called the Watauga Constitution. In 1789, these rules were adopted at Newell's Station, which became the center of government for Lesser Franklin.
The Lesser Franklin government finally ended in 1791. Governor William Blount of the new Southwest Territory met with Cherokee chiefs near what would become Knoxville. They signed the Treaty of Holston. The Cherokee then recognized the U.S. government's authority and gave up their lands south of the French Broad River.
What Happened Next
By early 1789, the government of the State of Franklin had completely fallen apart, except for Lesser Franklin. The area was firmly back under North Carolina's control. Soon after, North Carolina again gave the land to the U.S. government. This land became the Southwest Territory, which later became the State of Tennessee.
John Sevier was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1790 to represent the territory. In 1796, he became Tennessee's first governor. Col. John Tipton also signed the Tennessee Constitution as a representative from Washington County.
Important People from Franklin
- William Cocke (1748–1828); a lawyer, pioneer, and statesman.
- David "Davy" Crockett (1786–1836); a famous frontiersman and statesman, born in Greene County, Franklin.
- Samuel Doak (1749–1830); a minister and pioneer who started early schools and churches in East Tennessee. He was a delegate to the "Lost State" of Franklin.
- Col. Joseph Hardin (1734–1801); Speaker of the House for the State of Franklin.
- John Sevier (1745–1815); Governor of Franklin and the first governor of Tennessee.
- Lt. Samuel Wear (1753–1817); a co-founder of Franklin and a soldier in several wars.
- Gen. James White (1747–1821); an American pioneer and soldier who founded Knoxville, Tennessee.
Franklin's Legacy Today
The farm of Col. John Tipton in Washington County, where the 1788 Battle of Franklin was fought, is now a preserved historical site called the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Samuel Tipton, John Tipton's son, gave land for a town near the Doe River. This town was named Tiptonville in his honor. However, when Tennessee became a state in 1796, and John Sevier became governor, the county was renamed Carter County (after Landon Carter, a former Franklin Senate Speaker). Tiptonville was renamed Elizabethton (after Landon Carter's wife, Elizabeth).
The Franklin area also played a role in later history. In the early 1800s, people in East Tennessee often felt ignored by the state government. In the 1840s, some leaders, including future President Andrew Johnson, tried to form a separate state in East Tennessee called "Frankland." This didn't happen, but the idea of East Tennessee being its own state came up again several times.
Today, many businesses in the area use the name "State of Franklin" to remember its history, like the "State of Franklin Bank" in Johnson City, Tennessee. One of the main roads in Johnson City is also named "State of Franklin Road."
In law schools, a fictional "State of Franklin" is often used as a placeholder name for a generic state in legal problems. This helps simplify discussions about property disputes without getting into the details of real state laws.
The total population of the counties that would have made up the State of Franklin is about 540,000 people today. This would make it smaller than Wyoming, which is currently the least populated U.S. state.
Images for kids
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The state of Franklin highlighted on a map of Tennessee
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The State of Franklin and its counties
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Replica of the Capitol of the State of Franklin in Greeneville, Tennessee
See also
In Spanish: Estado de Franklin para niños
