The Battle for Land Continues

Several states in the East held land claims in the West following the Revolutionary War.  States that held no western land claims refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until all claims were ceded to the Continental Congress.

Early in 1780 New York was the first state to cede her claims to the central government.  There was little New York could to enforce these claims anyway.  Virginia came next offering her territories north of the Ohio River - but only if Congress agreed not to recognize purchases from Indians by private land companies, a provision that held up the whole process for 3 years. Maryland was the last "claim-less state" to ratify the Articles of Confederation because of the claims dispute.  Georgia was the last "claim state" to cede her claims in 1802.

There were states that put off ceding their western lands, and a wild speculation developed as their legislatures expected to get wealthy from the sale of the wilderness land.  North Carolina, for example, put Tennessee on the block in 1783 for 5 cents an acre.  By the end of the summer, 4 million acres had been purchased.  With her nest egg, North Carolina grandly ceded the Tennessee providence in 1784, chiefly because she had grown weary of the settler's demands for military protection and internal improvements.

Some states established military reserves which they retained title to after they had ceded their other claims.  These military reserves were even given as awards to surveyors for their services.  Lax survey descriptions, using trees as boundary markers added to the confusion.  In Kentucky, for example, lawsuits lasted for some 30 years after the war ended.

Next time...Discontent Rumbles
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On this Day in Pioneer History:  On November 5, 1775, Continental Army commander in chief General George Washington condemns his troops’ planned celebration of the British anti-Catholic holiday, Guy Fawkes Night, as he was simultaneously struggling to win French-Canadian Catholics to the Patriot cause.