<P> In May 1772, the Watauga and Nolichucky settlers negotiated a 10 - year lease directly with the Cherokee, and being outside the claims of any colony, established the Watauga Association to provide basic government functions . The lease and the subsequent purchase of these lands in 1775 were considered illegal by the British Crown, and were vehemently opposed by a growing faction of the Cherokee led by the young chief Dragging Canoe . With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (April 1775), the settlers organized themselves into the "Washington District," loyal to the "united colonies," and formed a Committee of Safety to govern it, marking the end of the so - called "Watauga Republic". </P> <P> In Spring of 1776, the Washington District Committee of Safety drafted a petition asking the colony of Virginia to annex the district . After Virginia refused, the Committee drafted a similar petition (dated July 5, 1776) asking the North Carolina Assembly to annex the district . In November of that year, North Carolina granted the petition and formally annexed the area . The Washington District was finally admitted to North Carolina as Washington County in November 1777 . </P> <P> The Cherokee, who were aligned with the British, launched an all - out invasion against the settlements in July 1776, but were soundly defeated . In 1777, the Cherokee signed the Treaty of Long Island, ceding control of the Watauga and Nolichucky valleys to the American colonies . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Wikisource has original text related to this article: Watauga Petition </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What was the goal of the watauga settlement