August 26, 1794

On this day in history President Washington decided to subdue the Whiskey Rebellion.

Rebelling Against Taxes

The Whiskey Rebellion began in August 1794 after grain farmers reached a boiling point regarding federal taxes being imposed on their distillery products. 6,000 men gathered at a Pittsburgh field with fake guillotines waiting for Washington and the federal government to disperse them.

On August 7 Washington issued a proclamation granting power to organize troops against the rebellion. He then waited to see if the insurgents would back down, by the end of August they had not. This was the first real test of Washington's presidency and, though he did not want to act as the tyrannical English king the country had just overthrown, he knew he had to quell the unrest. In a letter written to Virginia's governor on August 26 Washington declared he had no choice but to subdue the insurgents.

An artist's rendering of Washington riding to subdue the Whiskey Rebellion insurrection

It was over a month later when Washington rode out himself with a force 13,000 strong and headed to Pennsylvania. The rioters fled when they saw the federal troops and there was no bloodshed. Although Washington believed in the group's right to protest the laws, he believed it was important for the sake of the young democracy to put the insurrection down.