II. The Status of the Negro in the State of Franklin from 1785 to 1788
The State of Franklin[72] was included in the western part of North Carolina, which later became the Southwest Territory and the State of Tennessee. The independent action of its people is significant, therefore, not only as an expression of their own position on slavery, but also as a prophecy of the attitude of the state of Tennessee.
The constitution proposed by the Greenville Convention, November 14, 1785, established a liberal suffrage.[73] Section 4 of this constitution states that “Every free male inhabitant in this state six months immediately preceding the day of election, shall participate in electing all officers chosen by the people, in the county where he resides.”[74] The Declaration of Rights uses the terms “freeman,” “the people,” and “every man,” synonymously. There was no property or religious qualification for the suffrage. The slave, by emancipation, would have voted under this constitution on the same basis as other citizens. This constitution was finally rejected and that of North Carolina with few changes was adopted.[75] The above proposal is interesting as a typical frontier attitude on the suffrage question.
North Carolina never recognized the independence of the Franklin State. There were two factions in North Carolina politics on this question.[76] One of these, led by John Sevier, the Governor of Franklin, advocated independence; and the other, led by John Tipton, demanded the downfall of Franklin. The Tipton faction won, and the Franklin State came to an end in 1788.