 These western counties had originally been acquired by lease from the Overhill Cherokee, out of which the Watauga Republic had arisen.The North Carolina cession to the federal government had a stipulation that Congress would have to accept responsibility for the area within two years, which, for various reasons, it was reluctant to do.The cession effectively left the western settlements of North Carolina alone in dealing with the Cherokee of the area, many of whom had not yet made peace with the new nation.