The Almost State of Franklin

Have you ever heard of the 14th almost state, Franklin? During the building years of the United States in the late 18th century, Franklin was proposed to be the 14th state added. The area of Franklin was supposed to be the upper east area of Tennessee.

After the Revolutionary War North Carolina legislators discussed giving some land to the federal government. The people who inhabited those areas started to discuss plans of self-government. By December of 1784, they had declared themselves the “state of Franklin.” This however had not been recognized by the states due to slow communication between people at the December Conference and the people of the “state of Franklin.” The land that had been given during that time was taken back. This left the people of Franklin without any land to call a state.

But why was the state going to be named Franklin? Originally the state was to be called Frankland, they even had a slogan, “The land of free men.” In the end, they decided to change the name to Franklin. First, in Benjamin Franklin’s honor, they proposed the name. Second, the leaders wanting to add Franklin as a state saw the name Franklin was gaining more traction in the courts. They decided this name would give them a better chance of getting their so-called state to become a reality.

So, why did the state of Franklin eventually fail? The state of Franklin operated like any other state during its time, but it did have its problems. Some of these included a lack of military, tax-free living, and the lack of economic infrastructure. Because of this, the North Carolina government began to give incentives to the people living in the Franklin land to move back to their former government. They also offered to waive all taxes they hadn’t paid during their time living in Franklin. This was all under the notion that Franklin would dissolve letting the people leave the “state.” The state as a whole refused this offer, but it wasn’t long after that many citizens and leaders had moved away.

 

Questions:

What would you name a state if you could?

 

Would it be named after you, why or why not?

 

Do you think Franklin should have stayed as a state?

 

Sources:

https://www.deseret.com/23922454/history-of-the-state-of-franklin/

https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-state-franklin

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/true-story-short-lived-state-franklin-180964541/

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Replies

    • What is one thing you think it could change for our country if it was to remain a state?

      • One that I can think of is when we vote for presidents, it would change the electoral college.

    • I think having a state named after you would be a little weird as well. I agree it would have affected our countries history if they would have remained a state.

  • If I could name a state I have no clue what I would name it but I most likely would not name it after me. I feel that it was good Franklin is not a state because it was to small to be a successful state with a good economy 

    • How do you think the economy of Franklin would have affected it's ability to thrive as a state?

    • I would also not want to name a state after me for many reasons. That is a good point, Franklin was small so it may have been hard for them to continue being a state.

  • Im not sure what i would name a state if I could. I dont think I would name it after me that sounds selfish. 

    • Would you have kept Franklin as a state, or maybe change it to more of a town?

    • It would be a little selfish to name a state directly after you. Especially if you could think of more deserving names for that state.

  • I don't really know what I would name a sate if I could. I don't think I would name it directly after me, but I would have some hidden meaning that connects with me. I think that Franklin should not stay as a state. Just because it was small and didn't have much.

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