11 proposed US states that never happened
lovemoney staff
13 December 2023
Potential states that didn't get the gig
You won't believe some of the states that could have ended up being part of America.
From the spookily-named Transylvania to wannabes like Westsylvania, Jefferson, and Forgottonia, read on as we reveal 11 proposed US states that never happened.
Transylvania
Nothing to do with Dracula or vampires, this proto-state – a colony set up by pioneer and land speculator Richard Henderson in 1775 – was situated in what is now the central and eastern parts of Kentucky.
Transylvania
Henderson was poised to purchase the vast swaths of land to form his state but the Province of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction over the territory, stepped in to thwart the deal. The acquisition was voided the following year.
Westsylvania
Westsylvania was proposed around the time of the American Revolution and would have been the 14th state in the union had it been accepted. Feeling ignored by their political representatives, settlers in the western portions of the states of Pennsylvania and Virginia teamed up and proclaimed their independence in the summer of 1776.
Westsylvania
The states of Pennsylvania and Virginia had no intention of recognizing the breakaway state of Westsylvania, and Congress chose to ignore the settlers' proclamation. Threatened with treason if they continued their secessionist movement, the Westsylvanians eventually gave up their fight for independence.
Franklin
In 1784, several counties broke away from North Carolina, which they viewed as corrupt, and formed the provisional State of Franklin, installing Tennessee founding father, John Sevier, as governor.
Franklin
Congress failed to recognize the state and North Carolina took back control of Franklin in 1789. The territory that formed the bulk of Franklin was handed over to the federal government and eventually became the State of Tennessee.
Muskogee
Not just a state, Muskogee was a self-proclaimed nation established in 1799 by adventurer William Augustus Bowles in parts of what is now Florida. The flamboyant American Revolutionary War veteran created the nation as a haven for Native American tribes.
Muskogee
Bolstered by the support of the local Miccosukee and Muscogee tribes, Bowles tried in vain to get his nation recognized. However, Spanish forces eventually arrested the adventurer and threw him in prison, where he died, along with the idea of Muskogee, in 1805.
Deseret
The vast State of Deseret was proposed in 1849 by members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints in what is now Utah and Nevada, as well as large parts of California and Arizona, and smaller areas of modern-day Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.
Deseret
Named after the Mormon Bible word for a honeybee, the colossal provisional state existed until 1850, when the more compact Utah Territory was formally created by Congress. It went on to become the State of Utah.
West Texas
Texas has been the subject of several secession attempts since Congress requested a division of the state into four territories back in 1845. A number of plans to split Texas into east and west territories have been floated.
West Texas
The first proposal came in 1847, but won little support, and further attempts in the latter half of the 19th century also came to nothing. Other potential secession states suggested include Jacinto, Matagorda, and Texlahoma.
Scott
Fiercely loyal to the Union, Scott County broke away from the State of Tennessee in 1861 and declared itself independent following Tennessee's secession and alignment with the Confederacy. Scott became a Union Enclave during the Civil War that followed.
Scott
The secessionist state was never officially recognized and Scott has always been considered part of Tennessee. However, the actual independence proclamation wasn't formally repealed until 1986 when the county requested readmission to the state of Tennessee.
Tri-Insula
While Scott County was loyal to the Union, Fernando Wood, the slavery-supporting mayor of New York, aligned with the Confederate South. In January 1861, he announced that the boroughs of Manhattan, Long Island, and Staten Island would secede to form the Free City of Tri-Insula.
Tri-Insula
The plans to secede drew some support from the New York elites who were cashing in on the slave trade, but wider support was lacking, particularly after the brutal Confederate bombing of Fort Sumter in April 1861. Wood's secession project was ditched later that year.
Jefferson
Founding Father Thomas Jefferson inspired four proposed states at various times throughout history. The first State of Jefferson was cooked up by mining communities west of Kansas, while the second and third were proposed in 1870 and 1915 respectively by secessionists in Texas.
Jefferson
Jefferson was put forward as the name for a new state for the fourth time in 1941, when secessionists from Northern California and Southern Oregon mounted a short-lived independence campaign that was eventually drowned out by World War II.
Sequoyah
The Territory of Oklahoma joined the Union in 1907 as the State of Oklahoma. But it could very well have ended up being the State of Sequoyah, a Native American state proposed by members of the five so-called "civilized" tribes.
Sequoyah
The five tribes, who named their proposed state after a famous Cherokee leader, petitioned Congress in 1905 and almost got what they wanted. Instead, the powers that be opted to create the State of Oklahoma, and the rest is history.
Forgottonia
This tongue-in-cheek attempt at secession may have escaped your radar, which would be fitting given the proposed state's name. Forgottonia was dreamt up in 1971 as a protest to raise awareness about 14 notoriously overlooked and neglected counties in western Illinois.
Forgottonia
The brainchild of university student Neil Gamm (pictured), who was appointed first governor, Forgottonia never did achieve statehood. But the campaign achieved its aim of drawing attention to the region, which regained its Amtrak service as a result and enjoyed increased investment across the board.
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