"Franklin functioned as a sovereign state for about three years, or until North Carolina reaffirmed its own right to govern. The end came in 1788 when a militia battle between the pro and con backers of the independent state settled the matter. North Carolina then took full control of the area. (Tennessee has preserved the historic battle gorund, The Tipton-Haynes Site, just south of Johnson City)." John Sevier was governor and at one point the State "applied for entry into the Union." Source: Tennessee - Territory to Statehood by Dave Foster.