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The Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising during George Washington's presidency that occurred in southwestern Pennsylvania. In order to pay for the national debt, the government decided to tax whiskey. This infuriated citizens, especially farmers and settlers in western Pennsylvania (for it was a staple beverage) and throughout the states, federal tax collectors were harassed by "Whiskey Boys". By 1794, tensions reached an all time high, and civil protests soon became an armed rebellion. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, remembering Shays' Rebellion from a few years previous, decided this would be the perfect time for the federal government to flex their muscle. Washington, Hamilton, and Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee assembled a force at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and marched to western Pennsylvania where the rebels were no where to be found. They were soon rounded up and imprisoned, where one died, and two were convicted of treason and sentenced to death by hanging.

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15y ago

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