Chapter 44: Tennessee

Tennessee drafted its first constitution in 1796, which was accepted immediately by Congress, conferring statehood for Tennessee to become the 16th state in the Union. Most provisions in the Tennessee constitution were drawn from the North Carolina and Pennsylvania constitutions. Unlike North Carolina’s constitution, there was no provision for a system of publicly funded common schools in Tennessee. Private academies thus were established in Tennessee during this period.¹

In 1806, the U.S. Congress passed the Cession Act² which was intended to officially establish public education in the state. It provided 100,000 acres to establish a public academy (i.e., common school) in each of the 27 counties in the state. Over the next decade there were numerous attempts by the General Assembly to establish a dedicated stream of adequate funding and supervision for these schools. However, funding was not forthcoming as these attempts did not prevail, and only four common schools were established. Meanwhile, the private academies attracted students and benefactors which bolstered their reputations and favor among influential persons. In 1929, the legislature authorized local taxation to support public schools.