On August 28, 1794, in his third letter written under the pseudonym “Tully,” Alexander Hamilton wrote, “If it were to be asked, What is the most sacred duty and the greatest source of security in a Republic? the answer would be, An inviolable respect for the Constitution and Laws–the first growing out of the last.” As one of the most prominent interpreters of the U.S. Constitution and a Federalist, fervently advocating for a strong federal government, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton believed that citizens needed to respect and abide by all laws in order for the nation to be prosperous and protected. In the primary years of the American Republic, it became a top priority for the infant U.S. government to repay the debts that accumulated …show more content…
In his book, Whiskey Rebels, Leland Baldwin claims, “For years the West had urged a land tax as the most equitable method of taxation.” Westerners believed that this would place the greater burden on the East, since their land was more valuable due to it development and proximity to markets, and would prompt western land speculators to sell land at reasonable rates, thereby hastening the development of the West. Instead the excise tax was established, affecting the lives of western frontier farmers that might have considered themselves beyond the administrative reach of the infant federal …show more content…
There were rumors of a conspiracy amongst whiskey rebels to break away from Pennsylvania, forming a new, independent state, called “Westylvania.” In July of 1794, the Mingo Creek meeting was held in Washington county where anti-excise rebels congregated and eventually rallied together and decided to attack the residence of John Neville. During what would later become known as the Battle of Bower Hill, between 400 and 800 rebels arrived at Neville’s manor on Bower Hill and surrounded the house. Suspecting an attack, Neville defended his home using slaves and hired soldiers from Fort Pitt and shots were exchanged between the two parties. Neville was smuggled into a thicketed ravine and eventually the rebels set Neville’s manor