Watauga Association was a group of settlers who, in 1772, formed the first white community independent of colonial government in what is now the United States. The group had settled in 1769 on the Watauga River, in the northeast corner of present-day Tennessee. In 1771, they discovered that their land was not part of any colony’s organized territory. As a result, in 1772, they drew up a constitution to govern themselves. This document was one of the first written constitutions in North America. In 1776, the Watauga land, then known as the Washington District, was annexed by North Carolina at the request of the Watauga community.
In 1784, North Carolina agreed to give its western lands, including the Washington District, to the federal government. The Wataugans feared that they would be left without state or federal protection. As a result, they set up the independent State of Franklin, which the U.S. government refused to recognize. North Carolina regained control of the area in 1788 and gave it to the U.S. government in 1789. The Wataugan land became part of Tennessee in 1796.
