When you sang the classic “50 Nifty United States” in school, you probably never imagined how many oddball projects tried to add a few more names—here are 10 failed attempts to create new US states, each with its own dramatic tale.
10 Failed Attempts to Create New US States
10. The State Of Franklin
War‑time expenses hit the newborn United States hard, and the first fiscal nightmare after independence was a mountain of debt. In 1784, North Carolina tried to trim its budget by handing over a massive 29 million‑acre wilderness to the federal government, hoping the sale would pad the treasury.
The western settlers who suddenly found themselves under federal control were terrified the land might be sold to a foreign power. Isolated from the state’s political hubs and feeling abandoned, they grew restless, convinced the distant government didn’t understand their daily struggles.
On August 23, 1784 the four western counties—Sullivan, Spencer, Washington and Greene—voted unanimously to break away from North Carolina and form their own state. They sent a petition to Philadelphia, the nation’s capital, asking for admission under the name Frankland, later altered to Franklin in a hopeful bid to enlist Benjamin Franklin’s support.
Although seven states voted in favor, the motion fell just short of the two‑thirds majority required. Undeterred, the Frankliners ran the area like an independent nation: courts opened in Greenville, officials were appointed, and a barter economy flourished (the governor’s salary was a thousand deer hides a year). By 1788 North Carolina reclaimed the territory, arrested the Franklin governor, and after a brief rescue attempt the leaders conceded. In 1789 they rejoined North Carolina, and the region eventually became the core of Tennessee.
9. The State Of McDonald
Every year Missouri rolls out its Family Vacationland Map without much fanfare, until 1961 when the Missouri State Highway Commission accidentally left McDonald County off the printed pages. Nestled in the state’s far‑southwest corner, McDonald County boasted tourist hotspots that would have suffered from the omission.
Incensed by the oversight, the county’s leaders voted to secede, forming a makeshift government. They organized a militia, stopped every car entering the county, and issued special tourist visas to non‑residents. The fledgling entity even printed its own postage stamps, which today are prized by collectors.
Missouri Supreme Court Justice Mary Russell drove down to negotiate peace. In a heartfelt address she pleaded, “We need McDonald County in this state. You are so very important, you are a beautiful county.” When a local asked if McDonald was back on the map, Russell affirmed it, and the brief rebellion fizzled, leaving the county firmly back within Missouri.
8. The Watauga Association
Before the Revolution even began, a handful of settlers along the Watauga River forged a semi‑autonomous community in what is now Tennessee. In 1772 they settled on land technically belonging to the Cherokee nation, beyond North Carolina’s official borders.
The British Crown ordered the settlers to return, but they negotiated a ten‑year lease with the Cherokee instead. They then drafted a compact, electing five magistrates to govern. Though never formally declaring independence from Britain, the Watauga Association operated outside any colonial authority, making it the first non‑Native American self‑governing body on the continent and the holder of North America’s earliest written constitution.
The fledgling government attracted the ire of the British, yet the empire was slow to react. During the early months of the Revolutionary War the Association fielded its own militia. When the Cherokee, now allied with the British, threatened the settlement, the colonists petitioned North Carolina for protection, ultimately folding back into the state’s jurisdiction.
7. Rough And Ready, California
History’s most impulsive decisions often happen after a few too many drinks, and the miners of Rough and Ready, California were no exception. Fed up with a new federal mining tax, the mostly Wisconsin‑born townsfolk gathered on April 7, 1850 and proclaimed themselves an independent republic, vowing to “form peacefully, if we can, and forcibly, if we must, THE GREAT REPUBLIC OF ROUGH AND READY!”
The self‑declared nation abolished mining taxes and lived in a brief golden age. Yet three months later, on July 4, the patriotic fervor of Independence Day swept the community, and they re‑joined California. Rumor has it that nearby Nevada City saloons refused service to “foreigners,” nudging the miners back into the Union’s fold.
6. Deseret
The early Latter‑Day Saints faced relentless persecution, being driven from Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa before finally settling in the Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Brigham Young sent a petition to Washington asking for statehood under the grand name Deseret—a term meaning “honeybee” from the Book of Mormon.
The proposed Deseret would have spanned present‑day Nevada, Utah, large swaths of Arizona, and portions of California, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon. Washington‑era politicians balked at the Mormons’ practice of polygamy and feared the massive theocratic state might become a slave‑friendly stronghold.
While Congress debated, the Mormon community formed its own assembly and enacted laws as the State of Deseret for a year. In 1850 the compromise arrived: Millard Fillmore appointed Brigham Young governor of the much smaller Utah Territory, quelling the push for Deseret. Utah eventually achieved statehood in 1896.
5. Jefferson Territory
In 1855 Kansas carved out Arapahoe County, a sprawling jurisdiction that covered most of modern Colorado. The county, named for the Arapahoe tribe, was largely ignored by the Kansas government, which was preoccupied with the violent “Bleeding Kansas” conflict.
When the 1858 Pikes Peak Gold Rush flooded the area with hopeful miners, frustration boiled over. The settlers declared an illegal territorial government called Jefferson Territory, operating autonomously for 16 months while the nation’s attention remained on the looming Civil War.
4. Nataqua Territory
The mid‑19th‑century West was a patchwork of boomtowns and shifting borders, and the tiny hamlet of Susanville in California’s Honey Lake Valley found itself stuck between California and Utah. Neither jurisdiction appealed, and the residents dreaded being ruled by Salt Lake’s Mormon hierarchy.
To solve the dilemma, locals proclaimed the Nataqua Territory, encompassing roughly a quarter of present‑day Nevada and parts of California. Ironically, a cartographic blunder left Susanville outside the new borders, sparking confusion.
When Nevada was later carved out of western Utah, both California and Nevada claimed Susanville, resulting in double taxation and a two‑year “Sagebrush War.” The conflict ended amicably after a tense standoff when a Californian posse besieged Governor Peter Roop’s cabin; a leg wound and a shared drink led to a cease‑fire, and Nataqua was absorbed into Lassen County, California.
3. The Trans‑Oconee Republic
Elijah Clarke, a Revolutionary War hero from Georgia, felt betrayed by the 1790 Treaty of New York, which forced Georgia to cede western lands back to the Creek tribe. Furious, Clarke raised an army intended for an invasion of Spanish Florida, but the plan collapsed.
Undeterred, Clarke turned his troops toward the reclaimed Creek lands, establishing the Trans‑Oconee Republic and building a chain of forts to protect the fledgling nation.
President George Washington warned Georgia’s Governor George Mathews that an independent republic threatened the young United States. Mathews’ half‑hearted proclamation fell on deaf ears until fellow Georgian George Walton, a signer of the Declaration, demonstrated the illegality of Clarke’s move. Public opinion shifted, Mathews raised 1,200 militiamen, and the promise of amnesty convinced Clarke’s supporters to abandon the cause, ending the republic’s brief existence.
2. The State Of Scott
While the South’s secession is often painted as unanimous, many poor white farmers in places like Scott County, Tennessee, opposed the move. Lacking slaves and wealth, they resisted Tennessee’s June 4, 1861 decision to leave the Union.
Future President Andrew Johnson delivered a fiery speech at Huntsville, prompting residents to proclaim the “Free and Independent State of Scott,” formally seceding from Tennessee and re‑joining the Union.
The fledgling state sparked a bitter guerrilla war as Confederate irregulars tried to regain control. Scott County remained de facto independent for over a century, finally petitioning to re‑enter Tennessee in 1986. The state‑of‑Scott era officially ended with the county’s acceptance as Tennessee’s 95th county.
1. Beaver Island
Amid the many failed statehood bids, one succeeded in an unexpected way: James Strang’s self‑styled monarchy on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. After a botched law career, Strang embraced Mormonism in 1844 and, following Joseph Smith’s assassination, claimed to be the rightful successor.
Strang’s charismatic letter attracted followers who sailed to Beaver Island, establishing a theocratic kingdom of roughly 3,000 adherents. He expelled dissenters, consolidating absolute control over the island.
Under Strang, the island saw rapid development: forests were cleared, roads built, and the settlement “civilized.” He also turned to piracy, using small schooners to burn sawmills, rob craftsmen, and force conversions.
Despite his tyrannical streak, Strang’s regime was surprisingly progressive—women and Black citizens could hold office. However, personal vendettas brewed, most notably with Thomas Bedford, whom Strang had flogged for marital infidelity.
Bedford eventually led a posse that assassinated Strang in 1858. The monarchy collapsed, many followers fled, and the island’s original residents reclaimed it. Yet a small group of about 300 still regard Strang as the true heir to Joseph Smith.
Geoffrey earned seven liberal‑arts degrees that earned him nothing. Follow him on Twitter as he attempts a career in comedy and reflects on his missteps.