1790s: Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
- When the United States was still a young nation, President George Washington deployed soldiers to western Pennsylvania in 1794 to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion.
- The rebellion arose from citizens’ refusal to pay a tax on alcohol, imposed by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton to alleviate the national debt and assert federal authority.
- Federalists celebrated the success of centralized government control in quelling the rebellion.
- Members of Thomas Jefferson’s Republican Party (later Democratic-Republican) were dismayed by what they perceived as excessive government intervention.
- The Whiskey Rebellion serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle to define the scope of governmental control and individual freedoms.
List of Major American Historical Events
List of Major American Historical Events: The story of the United States is like a big puzzle made of important moments that changed its path.
Splitting this story into decades helps us see how America grew. From when it fought for independence to when it fought for civil rights, these moments show us how America changed over time.
Let us discuss the Major American Historical Events in detail.