1796 Detail

June 1, 1796 - Tennessee is admitted into the Union as the 16th state.

Tennessee Prior to Statehood

About twelve thousand years ago, the land of Tennessee, known as Tanasi, was inhabited by Native Americans. They took advantage of the mild climate of good soil provided by the ecosystems surrounding the Mississippi River, the Tennessee River, and the Cumberland River. They descended from the late Ice Age hunters, the Paleo Indians, who followed the game into the territory. The villages became larger after the advantage of growing crops came to the area; squash and gourds at first. Clay pottery was created during the Woodland Period, which included known sites such as the Pinson Mounds and Old Stone Fort. It was followed by the Mississippian Period, which included cultivation of corn and bean, plus the rise of chiefdoms (900 to 1600 AD), which often meant war.

Of course, what the end of this period also meant was the exploration of Europeans from the Vikings from Iceland to the Spanish in the Caribbean and Mexico. This brought disease, and even though the Tennessee region was not as close to those first population centers, i.e. St. Augustine or Jamestown, the illness would eventually make its way into the interior. During the late decade of the Mississippian Period, the expenditions of Hernando de Soto, Tristan de Luna, and Juan Pardo reached the area by 1540. They all searched for gold, but Pardo attempted to make alliances with the tribes. He failed. What they found were cities like Mound Bottom, Toqua, and Citico. However, the disease they brought was further evidenced one hundred and fifty years later when new explorers came into the region. Those population centers were gone.

Some tribes remained, including the Yuchi, but the stronger Cherokee, who had moved into the area after the period of depopulation, thrust the Yuchi south into Georgia.

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European Settlement Amid Native Unrest

At first, the limited number of settlers, mostly fur trappers and traders of deer pelts and beaver, were welcomed by the Cherokee who were interested in trade. They had effectively removed all Native American rivals by this time, including the Creek and Shawnee. There were Chickasaw on the western border. French expeditions began to make permanent settlements in western Tennessee, building Fort Prudhomme near the mouth of the Hatchie River, a post at French Lick, and settlements near Nashville in 1780.

For the English, they first arrived in the area in 1673 through an expedition of Abraham Wood led by James Needham and Gabriel Arther. Even though the Cherokee killed Needham, Arther managed to convince the Cherokee into a lucrative trade arrangement that last over one hundred years. What changed the relationship between the Cherokee and the English occurred in the 18th century when land speculators came to coordinate purchases for English subjects. Dr. Thomas Walker and six companions came in 1749 for the Loyal Land Company; the British constructed Fort Loudoun from 1756 until 1757 to protect the Western settlers and make better relations with the Native Americans. Several years later the "long hunters" came, led by Daniel Boone. Even though his first explorations were about fur and hides, he would later lead two expeditions through the Cumberland Gap to establish a settlement. The first failed miserably after a fight with the Cherokee, forcing them to return home. Even though there were certainly tragedies during the second attempt, Boone was able to establish a community at Fort Boonesborough, bringing his family there on September 8, 1775.

Others would come as well, including Colonial Office Lt. Henry Timberlake, who arrived in 1761 to mediate a conflict that had started when three Cherokee chiefs were killed in South Carolina the year before. Cherokee Chief Kanagatucko, however, wanted peace, not war, and asked for Timberlake to accompany him to peace talks. Timberlake would make friends with him, as well as Chief Ostenaco, and acquired a peace agreement. Ostenaco was enamored with King George III and asked to meet him. Timberland, Ostenaco, and two other chiefs traveled to London.

"They were struck with the youth, person and grandeur of his majesty, and conceived as great an opinion of his affability as of his power, the greatness of which may be seen on my telling them in what manner to behave; for finding Ostenaco preparing his pipe to smoke with his majesty, according to the Indian custom of declaring friendship, I told him he must neither offer to shake hands or smoke with the King, as it was an honour for the greatest of our nation to kiss his hand. You are in the right, says he, for he commands over all next to the Man above, and nobody is his equal," Timerlake journal.

Tennessee Becomes a State

Over the next thirty years settlements grew, before, during, and after the American Revolution. However, the British had expressly stated during their control of the territory that the lands of Tennessee were to be reserved for the Native Americans. As expected, these treaties were broken and wars abounded, particularly once the United States gained control. They allowed North Carolina to extend their boundaries all the way to the Mississippi River, and the first permanent settlement was established at Bean Station in 1776. However, the settlers blamed North Carolina for not protecting them and North Carolina agreed to give the Federal Government the territory back in part to repay their debts for the war. Thus came the first effort, the State of Franklin, which had a Constitution, a legislature, and Governor, John Sevier, from 1785-1788. But the Federal Government did not want the land back and returned it to North Carolina. The State of Franklin was gone.

George Washington, once President, decided to make the land of Tennessee a territory known as the Southwest Territory. He installed William Blount to lead. The settlers were happy with the new territory, but still wanted a state. When the Constitution was ratified, including the steps to create and accept a new state, steps were begun. First a census had to be conducted to prove they had enough inhabitants. It counted 77,262, more than the 60,000 needed. Then the citizens had to vote on whether they wanted to join; it was three to one for statehood, 6,504 to 2,562. A legislature had to be formed. It was. So on June 1, 1796, George Washington made "Tennessee" the sixteenth state after the Senate voted in favor 15 to 8 on an amended statehood bill, and reaching back to the State of Franklin, chose John Sevier again to be Governor. William Blount and William Cocke would be their Senators. Andrew Jackson would represent them in Congress. Knoxville became the first capital.

Photo above: Photo of a recreation of Fort Loudoun, 2007, Bill Porter. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons C.C. 3.0. Photo below: Illustration of Siege of Boonesborough, 1919, Edwin L. Sabin. Courtesy Boys Book Of Frontier Fighters via Wikipedia Commons. Info source: "The Land and Native People," Tennessee State Library and Archives Education Outreach Program; "History of Tennessee," Britannica; "Early Exploration," Michael Toomey, Tennessee Encyclopea; "The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake," 1765, the Public Domain Review; "How Tennessee Became a State," Christopher Grisham, tnmuseum.org; Congressional Research Service; Library of Congress; Wikipedia Commons.

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Message from George Washington sending vote of New Hampshire on the Bill of Rights. Photo courtesy National Archives.

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After your visit to a historic location you love, consider a contribution to the local or national historic preservation society. Each year, thousands of acres of our historic past are under the threat of extinction. A few dollars now could preserve it forever.

When George Washington gave up the presidency after his second term in 1797, it may have been the most remarkable event in U.S. history. It was the first time a leader gave up power willingly in a democratic shift to another man. Image courtesy National Archives.