The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 1, Issue 1, April 2015 | Page 18

Who Got Stuck with the Bill?
By Leigh-Anne Yacovelli
Introduction
The Federalists’ plan to reduce the new nation’s debt resulted in several
crises, one of which was the Whiskey Rebellion. The events that unfolded in
western Pennsylvania could have happened along any of the frontier areas. Virginia
and Tennessee both felt the effects of the whiskey tax, but Pennsylvania, with its
system of government that was the closest to true democracy, seemed to draw the
most attention from government leaders. The residents of western Pennsylvania
fought for the acknowledgement of their needs by the leaders in the eastern part of
the state. Specifically, the “Whiskey Boys,” some of the men from Pennsylvania’s
western half, fought for the repeal of a law that mostly affected the people along the
frontier border. These same men became the focus of the federal government’s
attention as it implemented its plan to unburden the new nation from its national
debt. This move by the government caused the division between Republicans and
Federalists to widen, and established the executive branch’s right to use the military
to quell domestic upheaval.
A Challenged Nation
After gaining their independence from England, and since neither English
law nor their charters, if applicable, applied to them any longer, many of the former
colonies created constitutions to reflect their new status. Rhode Island was an
exception; it did not retire its charter and adopt a new constitution until 1843.
Pennsylvania’s constitution provided for government by a Quaker oligarchy.
Revolutionary War leaders sided with democratic leaders rather than Quaker
leaders because of their loyalist leanings. Thus, the new constitution created a more
true democratic government. No longer did only a few religious leaders have the
power to decide the laws governing Pennsylvania. Neither was this right held only
to landowners as seen in other states with Federalist leanings. Instead, everyone had
a voice, even the westerners, to the dismay of those in the East. Voters in the West
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