We'd love to hear what you think! The State of Franklin. For four years, it existed in a place somewhere between a territory, a rebellion, and a nation. It had a governor. It had a legislature. It had courts. It levied taxes. It raised a militia. It negotiated treaties. It even petitioned Congress for admission into the United States. And yet today, it survives mostly as a footnote in Tennessee history. To understand Franklin, we have to set aside the way we think about states today. In the 1780s, Americans did not necessarily view a state as a subdivision of a nation. Under the Articles of Confederation, the states were themselves sovereign political entities joined together in a confederation. That distinction helps explain why a group of settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains believed they could create a state of their own. When North Carolina ceded its western lands in 1784, the people living beyond the mountains suddenly found themselves in political limbo. Isolated from the eastern centers of government and accustomed to governing and defending themselves, many concluded that the solution was simple: If no government would govern them, they would create one. What followed was one of the most fascinating political experiments in early American history. In this episode, we examine the North Carolina Cession Act of 1784, the creation of the State of Franklin, the leadership of John Sevier, the opposition of John Tipton, the constitutional debates, the courthouse wars, the Battle of the State of Franklin, and the ultimately unsuccessful effort to secure recognition as America's fourteenth state. Because Franklin was more than a frontier curiosity. It was a test of what the American Revolution had actually created. And although Franklin failed... The men who built it would help create Tennessee. 📚 Sources Fink, Paul M. Various published works and collected research concerning the State of Franklin and early Tennessee history. Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site. Museum exhibits, interpretive materials, historical markers, publications, and site research reviewed by author. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. • Corlew, Robert E. "John Sevier." • West, Carroll Van. "John Tipton." • Toomey, Michael. "State of Franklin." NCPedia. Articles and reference materials relating to the State of Franklin, North Carolina's western cession, and early Tennessee settlement. Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum. Interpretive materials relating to Jonesborough, Franklin, and early statehood history. Williams, Samuel Cole. History of the Lost State of Franklin (1924). Consulted indirectly through later scholarship and cited as a foundational work on the subject. Foster, Dave. Franklin: The Stillborn State and the Sevier/Tipton Political Feud. Consulted as supplemental reference material. Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org). Historical marker texts and supporting documentation relating to Franklin sites and events. McCray, Kelly. Materials consulted during preliminary research and comparison of interpretations. Additional local historical publications, museum materials, historical markers, and reference works reviewed by author. 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Music by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee. Support the show on Patreon for: • Early access to episodes • Ad-free listening • Exclusive bonus content, including full-length interviews 🔗 Links 🎧 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/summersmediaenterprises 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch 📘 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ Advertise with us! John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website! New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening! Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.
