The Little Known Story of The Free Republic of Franklin

I've always loved useless knowledge. Trivial stuff. Interesting facts that really don't mean a whole lot in the big picture.

This little quirk about me isn't always a good thing. I found history so interesting that my first college degree was a BA in American history. Basically, I went to college for fun (a rather expensive way to have a good time, by the way). Two other degrees followed. And no, I'm not boasting. On the contrary, I am embarrassed by the fact I had no focus or direction when I was younger. I wasted a lot time, energy and tuition just floating down the river of books and term papers.

So that's my story. Once upon a time my mind traveled "any way the wind blows," to lift a line from a song. As I've gotten older, I am much more focused, but I still love useless knowledge. I guess it is in my DNA.

But history has always intrigued me, especially quirky bits of history. 

Since you are reading my blog, I know you're smart and you might have guessed "quirky history" is the subject of the day. One of the most interesting stories in American history happened 235 years ago this week. I will try to make it interesting for you. 

One year after the American War of Independence (what we Americans like to call the "Revolutionary War") North Carolina decided to offset its war debts by giving a chunk of land back to Congress. Included was a sliver of land on North Carolina's northwestern border inhabited by Chickamauga Cherokee and roughly 5,000 white settlers.

But there was a caveat: this territory, which Congress was now responsible for, was intended to become the 14th state of the United States within two years.

The proposed state of Franklin (or Frankland).

Guess what? Some things never change. Congress began pumping the brakes on this new responsibility (there was even talk of selling this tract of land to France or Spain for cash--after all, Congress desperately needed money after the war). With a reluctant federal government waffling, the settlers of this region were left alone with pissed off Cherokee surrounding them. 

Just like that, these frontiersmen, citizens of the United States only by name, were no longer protected by North Carolina government or the United States government. Essentially, they were abandoned by both.

So delegates from the territory convened in modern day Jonesborough, Tennessee, took matters into their own hands and led the first secessionist movement in United States history.

Historic Jonesborough, Tennessee

The Free Republic of Franklin was born on a hot August Monday afternoon in 1784. A government was organized and Colonel John Sevier was named President of the new republic.

A year later, The Free Republic of Franklin applied for statehood to Congress--to be officially named "Frankland"--but only seven of the original 13 states approved, falling short of the 2/3 majority needed. Again, the federal government failed to live up to its promise.

For the next year, The Free Republic of Franklin engaged in what could only be called a cold war with North Carolina, the state which found Franklin's settlers expendable.

Not surprisingly, with no outside help, The Free Republic of Franklin struggled, and typical in the course of human events, dissension crept in. As times got tough, many Franklin residents expressed the desire to rejoin North Carolina while others remained fiercely independent. 

North Carolina extended an olive branch and welcomed Franklin back, waiving all back taxes if the Republic would rejoin the state.

Long story short, this offer was rejected by the majority of Franklin residents and North Carolina did things the old fashioned way: invaded with armed militia. The Free Republic of Franklin responded in defense with a small, ragtag militia of their own. 

At what is now the Tipton-Haynes Historic site, just south of Johnson City, Tennessee, the first shots were fired between Americans in a skirmish lasting just ten minutes, during a blizzard on February 29, 1787. 

Three men were killed.  

The site of what was most likely the first American-on-American bloodshed.
Tipton-Hayes Historic site.

The Free Republic of Franklin's militia retreated and North Carolina won the day.

The Free Republic of Franklin fell under North Carolina control after the so-called "Battle of Franklin." Two years later, North Carolina again ceded this territory back to the federal government which became officially known as "Southwest Territory."

Finally in 1796, the Southwest Territory was renamed Tennessee and the former Free Republic of Franklin became its extreme eastern border. 

Franklin had finally permanently rid itself of North Carolina.

Folks in that part of the country haven't forgotten their history. Johnson City, Tennessee, is the headquarters of the Franklin State Bank and one of the main streets in Johnson City is called State of Franklin Road. 

If Frankin had become a state, according to 2015 census, it would have a population of 540,000 people (comprising the eight current counties in that territory). That would have made it the least populous state in the Union.