Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2015 by James B. Jones Jr.
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise noted, images are courtesy of Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA).
First published 2015
e-book edition 2015
ISBN 978.1.62585.374.5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015938493
print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.843.2
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PREFACE
This book is intended to provide the reader with information concerning unique episodes and personalities in Tennessees history. The narratives of filibustering, politics, political figures, struggle against monopoly and unique editorial art are part of the entire mix of the past, generally unknown or hidden from view not because they are unimportant but because the focus of history has been on the famous personalities and great events in our past. The stories presented here are, for the most part, a blend of lesser incidents and personalities that are generally unknown, concealed from our knowledge of Tennessees past. The chapters that follow fill in part of a blank space, allowing the reader to better understand the Volunteer States past as something other than a series of names, events and, worse, dates. One might think of these articles as speed bumps that oblige us to slow down and look at our surroundings, allowing us to scan other things that may have been unseen as we hurry by. The accounts in this book are neither fictitious nor folklore but real events in Tennessees past. They have been carefully researched, using archival sources, letter collections, diaries and journals, as well as secondary sources, to provide authenticity to their content. I am optimistic you will find them interesting and even educational. The phrase the rest is history is appropriate here. What happens in the past between the great events and dates? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this book I try to make it clear that some events do not have the grandeur of celebrated events or personalities but have a dignity of their own, one common theme being that they have been obscured by almost singular attention to big events in the progressive line of history. Tennessees history is full of such lesser-known episodes, and to ignore them is to overlook and discount that part of the past that is essential to knowing where we come from and where we are going, to use a customary phrase. The chapters in this book are part of the rest of history that are now no longer hidden but open, no longer in the the dustbin of history.
THE LOST STATE OF FRANKLIN
TENNESSEES FIRST INSTANCE OF SECESSION
In American history, the period from 1783 to 1789 was characterized by turmoil. The Revolution had been ended by the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and the United States government was provided for by the Articles of Confederation. Under the articles, the states held the power, and under the Constitution the central government was supreme over the states. The turbulence caused by the change was a backdrop to the fascinating and complex story of the rise and fall of the Lost State of Franklin. The story of the State of Franklin is a bewildering drama with ramifications at the frontier, state, national and even international levels. It is also a demonstration of how Tennessees pioneer founders sought a solution to problems presented in the relentless movement to the west.
Those who pioneered in East Tennessee in 1772 formed their own government, a representative democracy. This government, named the Watauga Association, had the first written constitution among white pioneers west of the Appalachian Mountains. They were carrying on an already established tradition of self-government established in the original thirteen colonies. The association was in place when the American Revolution began in 1775.
The land these pioneers settled belonged to the State of North Carolina. In the late spring of 1784, one year after the end of the American Revolution, the North Carolina legislature transferred all of its western land (principally what is today Tennessee) to the American government under the Articles of Confederation. This act of cession on the part of North Carolina would help to stimulate many people in what are today Washington, Sullivan and Greene Counties to meet and create a government of their own. Since the land no longer belonged to North Carolina, it only seemed right and proper to some to establish their own state in the west. It was necessary also because the old arrangement with the state had resulted in an inequitable situation for the trans-mountain settlers. Indeed, many North Carolinians believed the over-mountain folk were no more than offscourings of the earth or fugitives from justice. This did not endear the settlers to North Carolina. In December of that year, representatives met and decided they were ready to form a state, free from the control of its former parent. The way was clear. The new jurisdiction was to be called the State of Franklin and was formed on August 23, 1784, when delegates of the Watauga Association met in Jonesborough. The three counties of Washington, Sullivan and Greene were declared to be independent. Another meeting would convene in a few months to draw up a provisional constitution and plan of government.
A minority led by John Tipton disagreed and wanted to remain under the rule of North Carolina. The vote was twenty-eight to fifteen, or about 65 percent in favor of independence. The next day, ballots were cast in two conflicting and competing elections. One was to select a representative to the North Carolina legislature and the other a plebiscite on the creation of the State of Franklin. The Franklinite candidates won both elections. When the North Carolina assembly met, only the Tiptonite delegates were seated. In nearly three months time, however, on November 20, 1787, North Carolina repealed its former act of cession to the American Confederation, but the news was slow to arrive in Franklin.
This made the government of what would be called the State of Franklin illegal and its leaders open to charges of treason. The stage was set for confusion and conflict that pitted the power and intelligence of some of the states earliest leaders against one another to decide the question.
On December 14, 1784, leaders of the Watauga settlements met to declare the independent State of Franklins existence. A temporary constitution was adopted and the name Franklin chosen to honor Benjamin Franklin. Their declaration of independence from North Carolina ended with the attestation that it is our own duty and inalienable right to form ourselves into a new and independent state. They did not yet know that the legislature of North Carolina had rescinded its cession made six months earlier.
