Today, you probably know that there are 50 states in America. Tennessee is just one of those states. It was the 16th to join the Union. However, did you know that there is a lost state, too? It was called the State of Franklin. So how did we lose it? It didn’t sink into the ocean! It didn’t disappear in a cloud of smoke! Instead, it was an early attempt at statehood by Americans living in what is now Tennessee. It no longer exists, but it is an important part of our state’s history.
The story begins over 200 years ago. The year was 1784. This was a very different time for America and Tennessee. In fact, Tennessee wasn’t even a state yet! Instead, the land that would become Tennessee was part of North Carolina. Also, the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation. This was the document that provided laws before the Constitution.
At this time, there were Americans living on the frontier, in what is now Tennessee, who felt like they were being ignored.It took a long time for news to travel from the frontier to North Carolina’s capital. Because of this, the government was late to respond to peoples’ problems. Many of these problems were the result of battles with Native Americans. 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.
