In the 18th century the Louisiana territory changed hands from Spain to France a few times. Tennesseans know William Blount as an important historical figure for their state. In truth, he was a traitor who could have destroyed the rich culture of Louisiana we know today.
The ink wasn’t even dry on the constitution. Blount, a signer of the constitution and Tennessee senator, started a plot to keep Louisiana and Florida from landing into the hands of the French.
The Illegal (Or Treasonous?) Plot
By the end of the 18th century, the Acadians settled along the bayous and prairies along the Gulf. Thanks to the British and the Le Grand Dérangement between 1755 and 1784, most of the Acadians had no choice in where they ended up.
Blount and his brothers gradually purchased 2.5 million acres of land in the territories. They planned to sell it to Britain, who didn’t want to buy it. The Blounts purchased on credit. Soon, they were in deep debt.
Many in the US feared the French would gain control of this land and shut off access to the Mississippi River. The new nation had just won freedom from Britain. Why sell territory to Britain so they are in America’s backyard?
Obviously, Blount had no clue that Britain would attack the US in another decade. Blount’s plan did in fact invite the British to Spanish controlled areas to avoid the French taking them. This constituted treason.
Blount wrote his plan in a letter for British authorities. Authorities seized the letter as evidence. The House of Representatives impeached Blount. The Senate “sequestered” his seat, which expelled him. The senators dismissed the impeachment charges on the grounds that impeachment didn’t extend to senators.
George Washington called for swift justice against Blount and hoped he would “held in detestation by all good men.”
I read that Blount’s expulsion from the Senate and ultimate impeachment may be precedent in regards to former President Donald Trump’s second Senate. The Senate didn’t exactly decide to drop the proceedings because Blount no longer served in the Senate.
Aftermath
Despite his reputation in ruins, Blount got a nice reception at home. This seems par for the course in Tennessee. Our country’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson, the first to be impeached, also received a warm welcome home.
A county adjacent to Knoxville carries his name. Its county seat, Maryville, is named for his wife, Mary. Within the Blount County school system, the couple each has a namesake school — William Blount High School and Mary Blount Elementary. His former home in Knoxville is now a historical site and open for tours. And as Tennesseans are apt to do, they swept this scandal under the rug. Who knew Olivia Pope handled 18th century scandals?
Along Broadway in Maryville, a plaque marks the spot where one of Tennessee’s most famous “volunteers,” Sam Houston, signed up to fight in the War of 1812. He joined one of General Andrew Jackson’s (also of Tennessee) regiments. By 1814, the British fought hard for the Louisiana and Mississippi territories. Jackson famously saved New Orleans with a little help from some pirates.
The (Non) Tennessee Volunteer
Blount died in 1800. He didn’t live to see America purchase the Louisiana territory from the French in 1803 or to see all that territory he wanted the British to take become part of the United States. Nor did he witness citizens from his own state like Jackson, Houston, Davy Crockett, and others volunteer in the War of 1812 fight for the area Blount wanted to ironically give to the British. Thirty years later, during the Mexican-American War, Tennessee would also play a large part for its volunteer soldiers heading to Texas heeding the call of President James K. Polk, also of Tennessee.
Somehow, the volunteers who died to get Texas and help keep that land that Blount wanted to go to the British from being taken by the British somehow is lost in the footnotes of history.
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