Tennessee's Road to Statehood

  • State of Franklin is Formed

    The State of Franklin was formed in part of East Tennessee. This short-lived State of Franklin passed out of existence in 1788.
  • State of Franklin is dissolved

  • Southwest Territory is Formed

    Southwest Territory is Formed
    North Carolina ceded its western land, the Tennessee county, to the Federal Government. Congress now designated the area as the Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio.
  • William Blount Becomes Governor

    William Blount Becomes Governor
    Blount becomes governor of the Southwest Territory and the superintendent of Indian Affairs (Chocktaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Chickasaw)
  • Tennessee Joins the Union

    On June 1, 1796, Congress approved the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state of the Union. John Sevier is elected as the state's first governor.