A “lost state” broke off from North Carolina — making its “short-lived” debut 240 years ago.
In the 18th century, some people living in Western North Carolina felt the N.C. General Assembly didn’t pay attention to them. As momentum spread, the region declared its independence on Aug. 23, 1784, according to historians.
So, what happened to the state of Franklin? Here’s what we know on the anniversary of its creation.
How was Franklin born?
Franklin formed at a time when news didn’t travel quickly to the North Carolina capital from western areas. As a result, concerns weren’t addressed right away, according to the Tennessee State Museum.
“Many of these problems were the result of battles with Native Americans,” the museum wrote on its website. “The frontier settlers felt unsafe and wanted protection. The Native Americans wanted these people off their land. The Native Americans had been living there for generations, and many did not want to sell or give up their land.”
John Sevier led the effort to launch Franklin, which didn’t have formal boundaries but mainly centered around three counties that North Carolina had ceded in the past. Franklin leaders hoped to add parts of Georgia and Virginia, according to the Encyclopedia of North Carolina and the National Constitution Center.
Franklin had a constitution similar to North Carolina’s, but it “lowered the land and wealth requirements for both voters and office holders,” the constitution center said on its website.
“Though they wrote their own state constitution and elected an assembly, western representatives were still sent to North Carolina’s General Assembly,” the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources wrote in a blog post. “Governor Alexander Martin was outraged by the separatists and threatened to use force against them.”
What happened to the ‘lost state?’
Since North Carolina wanted its land back, the Confederation Congress — which had federal control at the time — wouldn’t recognize Franklin. The state faced other challenges, too.
“Two leaders, John Sevier and John Tipton, competed for power, and residents dealt with continual fighting and land disputes with the Cherokee Indians,” the constitution center wrote.
The state “came to an abrupt end” as Sevier was elected as a North Carolina Senator in 1789. After Franklin dissolved, it went back under North Carolina control.
“That same year, North Carolina ceded its western lands to the United States government, and, in 1796, those lands became part of the new state of Tennessee,” the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources wrote.
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