1791
Be it enacted...
Proposed by Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, a seemingly innocuous excise tax "upon spirits distilled within the United States, and for appropriating the same" is passed through Congress in order to pay the war debt accrued during the American Revolution. Individuals in Western Pennsylvania immediately voice their displeasure with the excise tax - or "whiskey tax"- and vow to evade it.
Unrest in the West
Residents of Pennsylvania see the tax as, yet another instance of unfair policies implemented by eastern elites without consideration of rural populations or citizens on the western frontier. Western farmers feel that the tax is targeted at a demographic that heavily relies on crops like corn, rye, and grain to earn a profit and that federal authority is being abused.
1794
Violence Ensues
Nearly 400 rioters harass tax collectors such as John Neville, the regional tax supervisor. They attack Neville and set fire to his property in response to the continuation of the whiskey tax. Other tax collectors like Robert Johnson are tarred and feathered by disguised gangs who model their actions off of the protests of the American Revolution.
Assembly at Braddock's Field
Around 7,000 rebels meet at Braddock's Field; the crowd mainly consists of poor people who did not own land or whiskey stills. By this time distaste over the tax grew into a greater anger over other economic policies. The victims of their violence are largely wealthy landowners who have no connection to the Whiskey Tax. At Braddock's Field there are talks of independence from the United States to join Spain or Great Britain. Radicals fly a newly designed flag with six stripes, one for each county present at the gathering: the Pennsylvania counties of Allegheny, Bedford, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland, and Virginia's Ohio County.
Meanwhile, Washington urgently sends a peace commission to Pennsylvania - and when that doesn't work, he orders a militia response.
Having determined from the Report of the Commissioners, who were appointed to meet the Insurgents in the Western Counties in the State of Pennsylvania... I left the City of Philadelphia about half past ten o'clock this forenoon accompanied by Colo. Hamilton & my private Secretary.
Diary of George Washington, September 30, 1794
Washington Gathers His Troops
Washington gathers 12,950 men from Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland for his militia forces in order to settle the rioters in Western Pennsylvania. The massive show of force by Washington and his troops brings an end to most of the protests without a single shot being fired.
Matters [with the army staff] being thus arranged I wrote a farewell address to the Army through the Commander in Chief Govr. Lee to be published in orders and having prepared his Instructions and made every arrangement that occurred, as necessary I prepared for my return to Philadelphia in order to meet Congress, and to attend to the Civil duties of my Office.
George Washington's Diary, October 20th, 1794
The Dreadful Night
Convinced that the militia will be met with little resistance, Washington gives control to the Virginia Governor Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee. As Lee marches to Pittsburg most of the rioters flee into the surrounding mountains, beyond the reach of his troops. Out of almost 2,000 rioters only 150 are captured during a night raid that is conducted with little regard for due process. Many are pulled out of their beds with no distinction made between participants in the insurrection and witnesses to it. Citizens are dragged barefoot through muddy roads and streams to be held in basements and animal pens leading to the event being referred to as "The Dreadful Night."
Arrests Made
Of the 150 captured rioters, 24 are arrested for high treason; of those 24, only ten stand trial in federal court and only two are convicted and sentenced to death. Most cases are hampered due to a lack of evidence and witnesses. The Pennsylvania courts have more success prosecuting lawbreakers for assault and rioting.
1795
Pardons Issued
Washington issues pardons to John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, the two men who are found guilty of treason in front of the federal court. This is the first time in U.S. history that a president grants pardons to individuals convicted of treason.
1802
Tax Repealed
The whiskey tax was repealed in 1802 under the Jefferson administration as the Democratic-Republican Party saw it as a Federalist overreach of power and an unfair burden on ordinary citizens. The tax was also difficult to collect, especially in remote frontier areas. Repealing it aligned with Jefferson's agrarian ideals which emphasized small-scale farming and local economies.
