Watauga Association
E532498
The Watauga Association was a semi-autonomous, pioneer self-government formed by American settlers in the 1770s in what is now northeastern Tennessee, often regarded as one of the first experiments in independent democratic rule west of the Appalachians.
Statements (52)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
frontier government
ⓘ
historical polity ⓘ pioneer self-government ⓘ settler association ⓘ |
| aim |
to manage land claims and local disputes
ⓘ
to provide law and order on the frontier ⓘ |
| associatedWithEvent |
American Revolutionary era
ⓘ
Cherokee–settler land negotiations NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedOn |
English common law traditions
ⓘ
social contract principles ⓘ |
| continent | North America ⓘ |
| country | British America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describedAs | a “little republic” by some historians ⓘ |
| dissolutionTime | 1776 ⓘ |
| establishedBy | Watauga Compact NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ethnicComposition | predominantly Anglo-American settlers ⓘ |
| followedBy |
State of North Carolina jurisdiction over the area
ⓘ
Washington District NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| formedBy |
American settlers
ⓘ
pioneer settlers ⓘ |
| governingBody | Watauga court NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| governmentType |
frontier democracy
ⓘ
semi-autonomous self-government ⓘ |
| hasCapital | Sycamore Shoals NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasCharter | Watauga Compact NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasJudicialBody | five-man court ⓘ |
| hasLeader |
Charles Robertson
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
James Robertson NERFINISHED ⓘ John Carter NERFINISHED ⓘ John Sevier NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| heritageDesignation | important precursor to the State of Tennessee ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
early example of American frontier self-government
ⓘ
one of the first experiments in independent democratic rule west of the Appalachians ⓘ precedent for later western territorial governments ⓘ |
| influenced |
later frontier compacts and associations
ⓘ
political development of Tennessee ⓘ |
| legalSystem |
adapted colonial Virginia and North Carolina law
ⓘ
locally drafted written compact ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Watauga River Valley
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
present-day northeastern Tennessee ⓘ west of the Appalachian Mountains ⓘ |
| notRecognizedBy | British Crown as a separate colony ⓘ |
| partOf | American colonial frontier ⓘ |
| power |
executive enforcement of its regulations
ⓘ
judicial authority over local disputes ⓘ legislative authority over local settlers ⓘ |
| precededBy | unorganized frontier settlements ⓘ |
| recognizedBy | de facto by North Carolina authorities ⓘ |
| startTime | 1772 ⓘ |
| territoryIncludes |
Sycamore Shoals area
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Watauga settlements ⓘ lands leased from the Cherokee ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.