Center Director, Dr. Chris Magra, speaks at Blount Mansion to Commenorate the 250th Anniversary of the United States and its Relationship to Tennessee
On February 21, 2026, Center Director, Dr. Chris Magra, spoke at Knoxville’s Blount Mansion about the 250th Anniversary of the United States and its relationship to Tennessee. 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. Click here to watch Dr. Magra’s presentation.