On 225th birthday, here’s a look at Tennessee’s history from early settlers to modern economy | COMMENTARY

Contributed commentary by Sue Ellen Yates, Commemorative Chairman, Capt. William Edmiston Chapter, NSDAR:

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, Tennessee celebrates 225 years of statehood.

Curiosity might move you to peek back two-plus centuries to see what life was like. Our geography has three distinct regions, which are depicted by the three stars in the state flag – the Great Smokey Mountains of the east are next to the central rolling hills and plateaus, which link to the fertile low-lying regions on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Early settlers

Crossing the mountains west from the North Carolina and Virginia colonies, recognizable names such as John Carter, Col. James Robertson, Zachariah Isbell, John Sevier and Jacob Brown are introduced. These men along with others established the Watauga Association, which lasted approximately four years (the area today is located in Washington and Carter counties). The British Crown had outlawed purchasing land from the Indians. Since there was no rule governing leases, the independent men entered into a 10-year lease in 1774 with the Cherokees. In “The Winning of the West,” Theodore Roosevelt highlights the spirit of these frontiersmen as sparks of the American Revolution, writing, “The Watauga settlers outlined in advance the nation’s work. They tamed the rugged and shaggy wilderness, they bid defiance to the outside foes, and they successfully solved the difficult problem of self-government.”

Established between 1777 and 1788, our land was composed of six counties (three in east Tennessee and three in Middle Tennessee) abutting American Indian lands. During this time period, there were constant hostilities with the American Indians, a need for roads and forts as well as safe transportation on our waterways. Because of the distance and expense in maintaining these, North Carolina, in 1789, after it had ratified the new Constitution of the U.S., ceded Tennessee land to the federal government.

Between 1790 and 1830, the population growth in Tennessee exceeded that of the new nation with slavery playing a major role. It is remarkable that a group of people with polar views on slavery proceeded within the complexities of establishing new settlements and needing more land from the indigenous people to meet this growth had a desire for statehood. After the American Revolution, they were the first to apply for admission to the Union from a territory. The request was granted and Tennessee became the 16th state on June 1, 1796.

Slavery and the Civil War

Although the position on slavery fluctuated for almost a century and its consequences even longer, the initial state constitution of 1796 started on the correct path by granting suffrage and relative social equality to free blacks as well as an easy path for owners to free their slaves. In 1819, in the middle of this time period of population growth, Elihu Embree, Jonesborough, who was the son of a Quaker minister and was also a former slave owner, established the first newspaper in the United States that was devoted entirely to the freeing of slaves. By the 1820s, East Tennessee was leading the way to abolish slavery, which was dividing not only the state but the nation.

Overlapping the issue of slavery, vying countries such as Spain, France and England along with the new United States continued their expansion interest in our great land of multiple resources. The military enhanced the careers of such men as Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and Andrew Jackson. These men of character along with thousands of others earned Tennessee the nickname of the Volunteer State, whether the willingness to defend in 1813 our fledging nation against attack in New Orleans from Britain, defending attacks against women and children like those massacred by the Creek warriors at Fort Mims near Mobile, Alabama, or each war we’ve been engaged in since.

Another attribute of worthy recognition, Nashville was becoming a center for the arts and education in the South with music publishing becoming an anchor as early as 1824.

National influence

Andrew Jackson, propelled by his military career, ultimately served as U.S. president from 1829-37 and promoted the “common man.” James K. Polk followed as president, serving from 1845-49. His first act was to annex Texas. With the slavery issue escalating and war imminent, Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union in 1861 during the Civil War. Andrew Johnson became the third Tennessean to serve as president from 1865-69 after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Tennessee was the first state to be readmitted to the Union in 1866 and complied by ratifying the 14th Amendment (citizen rights and equal protection), which allowed it to escape military governance after the war. Tennessee was the only former Confederate state to do so.

The 20th century started with Tennesseans battling women’s suffrage and finally becoming the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920. In 1933, Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority, which helped tame the 652-mile long Tennessee River harnessing inexpensive, renewable energy. The region was so successful Oak Ridge was chosen for the clandestine Manhattan Project beginning the atomic energy center in 1942. By 1945, it housed some 70,000 people.

Tennessee today

Today, the list of industries associated with Tennessee includes names such as FedX, Dollar General, AutoZone, Nissan, Cracker Barrel, International Paper, Tractor Supply, Lifeway, Pilot, Bridgestone Tires, Hankook, HCA Healthcare, Brookdale Senior Living and O’Charley’s Restaurants.

Tennessee’s fertile land proudly displays Americana through its natives founded on our heritage of social struggles, tradition and community through the likes of those already briefly mentioned. Others include BB King, Sleepy John Estes, Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Patricia Neal, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Alex Haley, Kathy Bates, Morgan Freeman, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Margaret Rhea Seddon, Justin Timberlake, and too many more than space allows.

In recent years we’ve followed conservative fiscal standards that have positioned us with a surplus even after working through a global pandemic in our approach to government. We remain a land of opportunity. We’re not perfect, but we have a foundation that most certainly will carry us forward in spite of any missteps we may take.

Sue Ellen Yates