What popular uprising occurred in 1794 in response to an excise tax in Pennsylvania?

The Whiskey Rebellion was a significant popular uprising that took place in 1794 in response to an excise tax imposed on whiskey by the federal government. This tax was part of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's plan to centralize financial control and pay off national debts from the Revolutionary War. The rebellion mainly involved farmers in western Pennsylvania who relied on distilling their surplus grain into whiskey as a key source of income. They viewed the tax as an unfair burden, especially since they often used whiskey as a medium of exchange in their trade.

The importance of the Whiskey Rebellion lies in its demonstration of the tensions between rural Americans and the federal government. When farmers protested and resorted to violence in an attempt to resist tax collection, President George Washington responded by leading a federal militia to suppress the uprising. This decisive action reinforced the authority of the federal government and set a precedent for handling civil unrest.

In contrast, Shays' Rebellion was an earlier uprising in 1786-1787 by Massachusetts farmers protesting economic injustices and tax policies following the Revolutionary War. The Boston Tea Party, occurring in 1773, was a protest against British taxation without representation, while the Yorktown Uprising is not a recognized historical event in the context of U.S