George Washington, always aware that as the new nation’s first President, his every action would be “drawn into precedent,” conducted himself both deliberately and decisively when farmers across the US resisted a new federal excise tax on liquor. He publicly involved other branches and levels of government in his decision process, and issued proclamations calling for peaceful resolutions before using military force to quash what has come to be known as the Whiskey Rebellion. His political opponents charged Washington and his political party with exaggerating (if not manufacturing) the crisis, and called his decision to lead several thousand militia troops against the farmers heavy-handed. However one judges Washington’s action, the events became the first public test of the President’s power to enforce federal law in the new commercial republic.

Objectives:

Students will:

• Understand the historical events leading up to the Whiskey Rebellion.
• Analyze the Whiskey Rebellion from multiple perspectives.
• Evaluate Washington’s decision to use military force against rebelling farmers in 1794.
• Assess criticism of Washington’s handling of the Whiskey Rebellion.

• Handout A: George Washington and the Whiskey Rebellion
• Handout B: Setting the Scene
• Handout C: Press Conference

To create a context for this lesson, have students complete Constitutional Connection: The President as Enforcer of the Law.