Tennessee-Georgia Border Controversy: A Mistake That Might Reshape the State

The strange mistake that reshaped the state of Tennessee

When Tennessee was established as a state in 1796, the U.S. Congress declared Tennessee’s border to be on the 35th Parallel.

However, when you’re out walking around Lookout Mountain, it ain’t like they’ve got the 35th Parallel painted right there for just anyone to see.

Alabama became a state in 1817, they hired a team of guys to come out and survey the land. So that everything was done all nice and proper.

Why does Georgia want it redrawn? Well, at first, I believe that it was chiefly a matter of fairness. The border should be what the border was supposed to be, right? Georgia started trying to rectify the border mistake in the 1890s.

The problem? The people who lived in Tennessee liked being Tennesseans and nobody in the Tennessee Legislature saw much of a need to change. That land had been in Tennessee for 70 years at that point. Tennessee wasn’t going to just give it away.

Find out MORE about Why Tennessee is fighting back

... and will it ever happen?