{"data":{"description":"The Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington's Proclamation calling The Militia To Occupy the Western Counties of Pennsylvania. .. Angered by an excise tax ..","title":"Whiskey Rebellion","post_type":"page","content":"\u003ch2 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eGeorge Washington's Proclamation calling Out The Militia To Occupy the Western Counties of Pennsylvania\u003c/h2\u003e\r\n\u003ch3 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eAs It Appears In the August 11, 1794 issue of Claypoole's Daily Advertiser\u003c/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eAngered by an \u003cstrong\u003eexcise tax imposed on whiskey\u003c/strong\u003e in 1791 by the federal government, farmers in the western counties of Pennsylvania engaged in a series of \u003cstrong\u003eattacks on excise agents\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWhile citizens in the east did not find it difficult to abide by the concept that individual states were \"subservient to the country,\" people west of the mountains were less accepting of decisions made by the central government.The tariff effectively eliminated any profit by the farmers from the sale or barter of an important cash crop, and became the lightning rod for a \u003cstrong\u003ewide variety of grievances\u003c/strong\u003e by the settlers of the region against the federal government.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe rebel farmers continued their attacks, \u003cstrong\u003erioting in river towns\u003c/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eroughing up tax collectors\u003c/strong\u003e until the so-called \"insurrection\" flared into the open in July of 1794 when a \u003cstrong\u003efederal marshal was attacked\u003c/strong\u003e in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Almost at the same time several hundred men attacked the residence of the regional inspector, burning his home, barn and several outbuildings. Pittsburgh was another scene of disorder by enraged mobs.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eOn August 7, 1794, President Washington issued a proclamation, \u003cstrong\u003ecalling out the militia\u003c/strong\u003e and ordering the disaffected westerners to return home. Washington's order mobilized an army of approximately 13,000 — as large as the one that had defeated the British — under the command of General Harry Lee, the then-Governor of Virginia and father of Robert E. Lee. Washington himself, in a show of presidential authority, set out at the head of the troops to suppress the uprising.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThis was the \u003cstrong\u003efirst use of the Militia Law of 1792\u003c/strong\u003e setting a precedent for the use of the militia to \"execute the laws of the union, (and) suppress insurrections,\" asserting the right of the national government to enforce order in one state with troops raised in other states. Even more importantly, it was the \u003cstrong\u003efirst test of power of the new federal government\u003c/strong\u003e, establishing its primacy in disputes with individual states. In the end, a dozen or so men were arrested, sent to Philadelphia to trial and released after pardons by \u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington\"\u003eGeorge Washington\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cdiv\u003e\r\n\u003cul\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003eBack to \u003ca title=\"Milestone Events\" href=\"/earlyamerica/milestone-events/\"\u003eMilestone Events\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003eMore About The Whiskey Rebellion:\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003eRead the Text Version: \u003ca title=\"Whiskey Rebellion Proclamation\" href=\"/earlyamerica/milestone-events/whiskey-rebellion-proclamation/\"\u003eThe Whiskey Rebellion Proclamation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca title=\"The Whiskey Rebellion: Taxing ‘Sin’ — Then and Now\" href=\"/earlyamerica/milestone-events/whiskey-rebellion-tax/\"\u003eThe Whiskey Rebellion: Taxing Sin Then and Now\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ul\u003e\r\n\u003c/div\u003e","menu":[{"path":"lives-early-america","title":"Famous Lives","submenu":[{"path":"lives-early-america/autobiography-benjamin-franklin","title":"Autobiography of Ben Franklin"},{"path":"lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington","title":"Ramsay's The Life of Washington"},{"path":"lives-early-america/adventures-col-daniel-boone","title":"The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone"},{"path":"lives-early-america/true-story-paul-revere","title":"The True Story of Paul Revere"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"portrait","title":"Portraits"},{"path":"rare-images/last-men-revolution","title":"The Last Men of the Revolution"}]},{"path":"freedom-documents","title":"Freedom Documents","submenu":[{"path":"freedom-documents/bill-rights","title":"Bill of Rights"},{"path":"freedom-documents/declaration-independence","title":"Declaration of Independence"},{"path":"freedom-documents/u-s-constitution","title":"The U.S. Constitution"}]},{"path":"world-early-america","title":"World of Early America","submenu":[{"path":"bookmarks","title":"Early American Bookmarks"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"firsts","title":"Firsts!"},{"path":"rare-images/maps","title":"Maps"},{"path":"rare-images","title":"Rare Images"},{"path":"music1","title":"Music"},{"path":"writings","title":"The Writings of Early America"}]},{"path":"boston-massacre","title":"Boston Massacre"},{"path":"milestone-events","title":"Milestones"},{"path":"early-america-review","title":"The Review"},{"path":"home/teachers-students","title":"Teachers"},{"path":"sitemap","title":"Sitemap"}]},"success":true}