Fact of the Day: Was a state ever denied admission into the Union?

One proposed state was actually denied admission as a state. It happened back in 1784. North Carolina offered a territory for cession to the federal government to help pay off the debts caused by the Revolutionary War. The territory took on the name the Free Republic of Franklin in hopes that Benjamin Franklin would get behind their push for statehood. They were officially submitted to the Continental Congress under the name the State of Frankland. It came up two votes short of the two-thirds of the votes it need to be admitted into the Union.

Franklin was only in existence for about four and a half years before North Carolina rescinded its offer of the territory. The same territory would be offered up again, but this time it went on to become part of Tennessee.

Jonesborough was the capital from the territories inception until 1985 when the capital became Greenville. Colonel John Sevier was the President/Governor of Franklin, would later become a North Carolina Senator and then finally the first Governor of Tennessee.

The red counties were the territory of Franklin