Hump Day History

 


On this day we look back at the Whiskey Rebellion, the first insurrection of the new United States.

In 1791, Congress passed a tax on whiskey to pay off debts from the Revolution.  This was the first tax on a domestic product.

Grain farmers resented this, and President Washington attempted to prosecute refusal to pay.  In 1794, 6,000 men gathered in a Pittsburgh field with fake guillotines.

Washington issued a proclamation giving Alexander Hamilton the power to organize troops.  And on August 26th, he declared that the insurgents had to be subdued, fearing they would otherwise "shake the government to its foundation."

In September, Washington led an army into Pennsylvania, the only time a sitting president has done so.  The rioters dispersed at the sight of federal troops.  Victory was had without bloodshed, but Thomas Jefferson felt the action had been a dire threat to the nation's ideals.


Grown in the Monongahela Valley between Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Disobedient Spirits


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