1776 and Tennessee: The 250th Anniversary

We are thrilled to be partnering with the The National Society of Colonial Dames Knoxville Town Committee for our

Semiquincentennial Celebration Lecture Series!

These lectures are sponsored by The National Society of Colonial Dames Knoxville Town Committee to honor America’s 250th Anniversary!

Dr. Magra will speak on “1776 and Tennessee: The 250th Anniversary.”

The formation of Tennessee was inextricably linked to the Declaration of Independence through shared Enlightenment ideals and westward expansion.

  Appalachian settlers established independent western governments like the Watauga Association (1772) and the State of Franklin (1784) by applying the principle of popular sovereignty.  The Revolutionary War and the efforts of the Overmountain Men at Kings Mountain provided settlers with the leverage they needed to demand statehood as a reward for their defense of American liberty.

Settler sovereignty culminated in the 1796 Tennessee Constitution, which Thomas Jefferson hailed as a masterpiece that

codified the democratic spirit of 1776.

Dr. Chris Magra is a professor of Early American History and the Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War at the Department of History at The University of Tennessee.

Purchas Dr. Magras books below:

Poseidon’s Curse (Cambridge University Press, 2016) Purchase Here

The Fisherman’s Cause (Cambridge University Press, 2009) Purchase Here

• Lecture will start at 3pm
• The special speaking event will be at Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902.
• Limited free parking onsite
• $10 Donation suggested at the door. Cash and card accepted
• RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org

For Donations & Memberships to the Blount Mansion Association, please make your tax deductible gift here.

For Donations to our Blount Mansion Centennial Endowment Fund, please make your tax deductible gift here.