The Discovery of the New World by the Europeans started a long history of colonizing modern US territory. This process involved Great Britain, France, Spain, those who decided to permanently move to the American continent, and the local Indian tribes. After protecting its colonies from the French, Great Britain was in debt and tried to collect the money through the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765. Indians and the British united against the settlers who did not wish to cooperate with the power and orders of the Old World. The land, which is now Tennessee territory, also became an object of division.
Settlers there were willing to lead independent lives and did not accept the orders from Great Britain. They supported the patriots from New England and West Virginia in their stance for freedom, making them enemies of the local tribes. They organized a Committee of Safety in 1775 and proclaimed themselves the “Washington District,” honoring the future first President of the USA. Cherokee Indians saw settlers as aggressive invaders and chose to support the British. To protect themselves from the locals’ attacks, Tennessee colonists built Fort Lee in Nolichucky and Fort Watauga in Sycamore Shoals.
Dragging Canoe, a Cherokee war chief, was particularly intolerable of the settlers. His group attacked Long Island Flats in 1776 and refused to honor a peace treaty between the Indians and the colonists. His determination led to establishing a new tribe, the Chickamauga, and their continuous attacks on settlers until a militia from Fort Watauga destroyed their villages in 1779. The next year, the English moved an invasive campaign into the south and tried to secure their positions in Charleston, South Carolina. Their militia consisted mainly of Tories, the settlers who stayed loyal to Great Britain. Their commander was Major Patrick Ferguson, a firm leader who threatened the people of Carolinas to kill their leaders and burn the homes if they refused to cooperate. The purpose of his mission was the punishment of those who violated the Proclamation of 1763, protecting the Indian tribes from settlers’ attacks past the Appalachian Mountains at the Eastern Continental Divide.
John Sevier and Issac Shelby, the local leaders, decided that waiting for Ferguson’s attack would not be productive. On September 25, 1780, a thousand volunteers from Tennessee united with four hundred Virginians, as well as some men from Carolinas and Georgia. They moved to meet the British troops on the Kings Mountain, the territory between the North and South Carolinas. The battle followed on October 7, 1780, and was dominated by the united troops of settlers. Ferguson’s men were defeated, and the commander himself was shot by a Robert Young, Tennessee soldier. This success made John Sevier a hero, provided him with political influence, and allowed to become the first state governor.
West Tennessee also played its role in the Revolution, although the influence was not crucial. There, the Chickasaw Indians also decided to support the British, partially because their neighbor Spanish settlers sided with American ones. British citizens and local tribes performed a successful attack on Arkansas Port in 1779, led by James Colbert. The raid resulted in capturing forty Spanish soldiers who were later released by their allies, the Quapaw Indians. The described event did not affect the Revolutionary War significantly. For Indians, the choice of supporting the British contributed to the final defeat; the settlers considered them enemies and did not negotiate any of the invaded territories. By the 1830s, most of the Indian tribes from Tennessee were forced to move further west.
Settlers of the Tennessee territory contributed to the independence of the future United States of America. They fought the local Indian tribes and the British soldiers, refusing to follow the orders from the English Commanders. The most famous conflict won by the settlers was defeating the British troops on Kings Mountain in 1780. Eventually, the colonists expanded and claimed the territory of modern Tennessee, forcing the locals to leave their villages and search for a new homeland.