The historians of Tennessee state that the Wataugans formed their
government in 1772 and that Sevier was one of its five
commissioners. Yet, as Sevier did not settle in Tennessee before
1773, it is possible that the Watauga Association was not formed
until then. Unhappily the written constitution of the little
commonwealth was not preserved; but it is known that, following
the Ulsterman's ideal, manhood suffrage and religious
independence were two of its provisions. The commissioners
enlisted a militia and they recorded deeds for land, issued
marriage licenses, and tried offenders against the law. They
believed themselves to be within the boundaries of Virginia and
therefore adopted the laws of that State for their guidance. They
had numerous offenders to deal with, for men fleeing from debt or
from the consequence of crime sought the new settlements just
across the mountains as a safe and adjacent harbor. The attempt
of these men to pursue their lawlessness in Watauga was one
reason why the Wataugans organized a government.
When the line was run between Virginia and North Carolina beyond
the mountains, Watauga was discovered to be south of Virginia's
limits and hence on Indian lands. This was in conflict with the
King's Proclamation, and Alexander Cameron, British agent to the
Cherokees, accordingly ordered the encroaching settlers to
depart.
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