During the last half of the 18th century, many early European settlers started moving on lands past the Appalachian Mountains, which was a violation of the Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation stated that the land west of the Appalachian Mountains belonged to the Cherokees and no British settlers were legally supposed to move onto that land. However, like many of the deals and promises made by Europeans to the Indians, it wasn’t kept. Settlers moved into the area past the Appalachian Mountains into what is today called Tennessee. This movement or more properly called settlement, to some, is referred to as “the Great Leap Westward.” So, why do so many people call Tennessee’s settlement a “Great Leap Westward”? People called Tennessee’s settlement a “Great Leap” because of Tennessee’s unique geography, the hardship the people endured in order to get into to Tennessee, and the Tennessean settlements physical placement. Tennessee’s unique and complex geographical features were what helped it gain the name of “the Great Leap Westward.” For instance, the Tennessee’s settlements were cut off from the rest of early American …show more content…
There were three main ways in order to get into to Tennessee. Settlers either crossed the Appalachian Mountains, walk the Cumberland Gap like the Robertson party, or travel down a river system to get into Tennessee like the Donelson river voyage. Performing any of these expeditions in order to get into Tennessee was a long and dangerous journey. The limited entrances and exits to Tennessee added to its isolation from the other colonial settlements, which again backs up the name “the Great Leap Westward”. For the difficulties of entering Tennessee, like its unique geography, added to the feeling of a great distance or “Great Leap” between the new settlements and the