By Christopher Grisham
Did you know that Tennessee was once neighbors with both Spain and France? That might sound pretty odd to us today. Spain is over 4,000 miles away from Tennessee with an entire ocean between us, and France is even further away. As unbelievable as it might sound today, when Tennessee became a state there was less than 11 miles of water separating our state from Spain. If you want to know more about how Tennessee became a state, check out our blog on that topic here.
Before the United States even existed, most of North America had been divided between the major European powers: Great Britain, France, and Spain. Eventually the 13 colonies separated from Great Britain and became a new country, the United States. But they were still surrounded by those European powers. The United States quickly claimed the land from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mississippi River. They knew it would be hard for a young country to hold onto land if it didn’t have many people living in it. France, Spain, and Great Britain were all making plans to take control of the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi, so the United States encouraged more settlers to move out west. This is one thing that leads to the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio being formed. These western states gave the country a stronger claim to that land.
Map of the United States in 1803.Tennessee State Museum Collection 2016.74.6
Tennessee officially becomes the 16th state to join the Union on June 1, 1796. At that time, Spain controlled what was called the Louisiana Territory just on the other side of the Mississippi River. In 1800, France acquires the territory from Spain and officially takes over in 1802. However, France didn’t control this area for very long. In 1803, the United States buys these 530,000,000 acres of land from France for $15 million. This is known as the Louisiana Purchase. That means that the first six and half years that Tennessee was a state, we bordered a foreign nation.
1809 Map of the United States.Tennessee State Museum Collection 2018.14.7
At this time, the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain had been fighting with each other over North American land and boundaries for several decades. These countries didn’t really trust each other very much. Many of them would make alliances with various Southeastern Indian nations to act as a buffer between the countries. Spain would make an alliance with the Creek Nation, and the United States allied with the Chickasaw in what is today West Tennessee. To keep the Chickasaw happy, Tennessee would try and prevent white settlers from moving into their lands west of the Tennessee River.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition/St. Louis World’s Fair Souvenir Canteen, 1904. Tennessee State Museum Collection 2004.137.1168
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 greatly expanded the land of the United States. Later, the War of 1812 (1812-1815) proved that the United States was able to defend its land. At the same time Spain, France, and other European powers were struggling to hold onto their colonies in the Americas. Things are very different today. Today, the United States stretches from “sea to shining sea”. The state is no longer considered the West but the Southeast. Tennessee may be tied for bordering the most states, but none of them are with another country. If you know were to look though, you can still see how sharing a border with another country affected Tennessee. In our Constitution’s Declaration of Rights (kind of like the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution) it says:
Section 29. That an equal participation in the free navigation of the Mississippi, is one of the inherent rights of the citizens of this State; it cannot, therefore, be conceded to any prince, potentate, power, person or persons whatever.
This may seem odd today, when the nearest prince is over 4,000 miles away and the Mississippi River is surrounded by U.S. states. When the first Tennessee Constitution was written and the Mississippi River was the boundary between two or more nations, who had the right to sail on it was a major issue. Could you imagine needing a passport to cross the Mississippi River today?
Territory – an area of land controlled by a country but not made a full state
Acquire – to buy or obtain
Foreign – related to a country other than your own
Alliance – an agreement between two countries for peace or cooperation
Buffer – a person or thing that prevents two things from coming into contact
What country controlled the Louisiana Territory when Tennessee became a state? What country did the U.S. purchase the territory from?
What Southeastern Indian tribe lived in West Tennessee between the United States and Spain?
List three concerns that the founders of Tennessee may have had about sharing a border with a foreign nation? Put them in order from most important to least.
Imagine a world where Spain or France had expanded into the Tennessee area before the United States. What are four ways that your life/culture might be different today?
Many writers come up with story ideas by changing something that happened in history. This is called Alternate History. In Alternate History books, there is usually a map that shows you what their imagined world looks like. Choose one of the changes to history below and draw a map of what North America would look like today.
Great Britain won the Revolutionary War
Spain never gave up the Louisiana Territory to France and didn’t sell it to the United States
France stayed in control of the Louisiana Territory and used it as a base to take control of parts of Canada from the British
The United States never expanded beyond the Appalachian Mountains
Come up with your own situation.
Christopher Grisham is an educator at the Tennessee State Museum.
Tennessee Social Studies Standards
4.16 Map the exploration of the Louisiana Territory, and describe the events, struggles, and successes of the purchase, including the significance of: Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea.
5.35 Describe the steps that Tennessee took to become a state (i.e., population requirement, vote by the citizens, creation of a state constitution, and Congressional approval). (T.C.A. § 49-6-1028)
5.36 Identify the year Tennessee became a state, its first governor, and the original capital.
5.39 Explain how the western boundary of Tennessee was expanded with the Jackson Purchase.
8.30 Explain the major events of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, including:
Conflict with the Barbary pirates
Embargo Act
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Louisiana Purchase
Resources
National Park Service; Mississippi River Facts; https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm; accessed 10/2/2023.
Department of State, Office of the Historian; Louisiana Purchase, 1803; https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/louisiana-purchase, accessed 10/2/2023.
Tennessee Encyclopedia; The Chickasaws; https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/chickasaws/; accessed 10/2/2023.
Project Muse; “To Treat with All Nations” Invoking Authority in the Chickasaw Nation, 1783-1795; https://muse.jhu.edu/article/689417; accessed 10/2/2023.
Tennessee Virtual Academy; The 1870 Constitution; https://cdm15138.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/tfd/id/584; accessed 10/2/2023.
