State of Franklin - History Day 2008

A Dream Deferred: The Lost State of Franklin. A History Day documentary by Alexander Atallah, senior division. Though my entry to the Colorado History Day competition only made it to the final round, I was happy to have completed a project of this magnitude for the first time. With the help of many historians and helpful reviewers, I conducted my research on the "lost" State of Franklin -- Tennessee's first attempt at statehood, when settlers under the leadership of John Sevier unofficially separated from North Carolina and began a trend of western state-making. The de facto government was a product of the revolutionary mindset of the time, which lasted into the later history of both North Carolina and Tennessee while adversely affecting Native Americans. Overall, I learned a great deal about the larger ideas of the American Revolution and westward expansion through the research and analysis I conducted for my limited 10-minute documentary. National History Day is a truly life-changing project, and if you're a newcomer to the program, I'd be happy to answer any questions or chat about anything in the comments below the movie. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! A list of all my movie revisions is located at http://gallery.mac.com/alexander.atallah#100182