How did George Washington respond to the Whiskey Rebellion?
1. He created a 13,000-man militia to put down the rebellion.
2. He gave into the rebels' demands.
3. He sought help from France and Spain.
4. He imposed martial law throughout the United States.
1. He created a 13,000-man militia to put down the rebellion.
1. He created a 13,000-man militia to put down the rebellion.
George Washington's response to the Whiskey Rebellion was option 1: He created a 13,000-man militia to put down the rebellion. To arrive at this answer, we can examine historical information and primary sources.
The Whiskey Rebellion occurred in the early 1790s when farmers in western Pennsylvania protested against the federal excise tax imposed on whiskey. These farmers felt that the tax unfairly targeted them and represented an overreach of government power. The rebellion escalated to the point where there were acts of violence and resistance against the tax collectors.
In response, President George Washington decided to take action to maintain law and order. He saw the rebellion as a threat to the authority of the new federal government and wanted to demonstrate that the government was capable of enforcing its laws.
Washington first tried to negotiate a peaceful resolution, but when those efforts failed, he called for the mobilization of a militia force. This force, known as the "Whiskey Boys" or the "Army of the West," consisted of around 13,000 militiamen from several states.
Under Washington's orders, the militia marched to western Pennsylvania, where the rebellion was centered. However, by the time the militia arrived, most of the resistance had dissipated, as the rebels knew they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. Thus, there was no large-scale conflict, and the presence of the militia effectively ended the rebellion.
To summarize, George Washington responded to the Whiskey Rebellion by creating a militia force and sending them to western Pennsylvania to quell the rebellion.