We arrived one Friday afternoon in Washington, PA to visit the Whiskey Rebellion Center and nearby David Bradford House to learn more about pioneer life and taxes in Pennsylvania. Let’s set the scene.
In the late 1700s, western Pennsylvania was the American frontier and a rather dangerous and poorly supplied area. The British, lately bereft of their lucrative colonies, offered to pay the Native Americans a bounty for American citizens. Travel across the state moved slowly on unpaved roads over the mountains, roads that could become impassable or washed away with the whims of the weather. The use of currency was rare here and the local economy generally relied on bartering. The bartering system often traded whiskey, a popular beverage made at home from surplus grain and consumed in lieu of fresh water (which, in this pre-filtration age, was often contaminated by farm animals). Whiskey was also a key source of trade income, as it could be packed in barrels, strapped onto horses, walked across the Appalachian Mountains, and sold in the eastern cities for a better profit than fresh grain.
David Bradford, the obsequious owner of an exquisite house on Main Street, profited from this trade. He owned a farm outside the town but had built this fortress of a home to appease his fiancée. She was concerned about their family’s safety given the possibility of Native American attacks on pioneers. With a strong door, walls more than a foot thick, and shuttered windows, it was a testament to his wealth and a symbol of his intent to fight if he felt threatened.
Enter the United States Constitution, the new American Presidency, and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who proposed to raise funds to cover war debts by instituting an excise tax on whiskey. This infuriated the western Pennsylvania pioneers, who got more than “a little frisky” and started the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion resulted in the first test of federal power under the Constitution (spurred by the first excise tax), the first time a sitting president would lead troops against American citizens, the first time federal troops would fire upon Americans, the first use of the Presidential pardon, and it also justified the creation of the first federally-funded interstate highway (the National Road).
While the Whiskey Rebellion Center was a self-guided museum, David Bradford House tours were led by costumed docents who were able to answer every question we could throw at them. We learned many things about pioneer life, but we were especially struck by how David Bradford displayed his wealth–a pianoforte carried piece by piece across the mountains, glass-paneled cabinets in the dining room, imported tea and white sugar, beeswax candles, and more.
When Revolutionary War hero and President George Washington marched west with the militia, the bold rebellion quickly collapsed. Although his home was boldly built to withstand a Native American assault, David Bradford hurriedly fled just days before Alexander Hamilton would knock on the door to arrest him. He spent years in Spanish West Florida (now Louisiana) before he was finally pardoned by President John Adams—but ultimately chose to live abroad for the rest of his days.
In a discussion of a historical rebellion against taxation, it seems only right to reflect on the lives of the individuals commissioned by the government to collect or enforce the tax and our perceptions of personal wealth. If the Whiskey Rebellion is any clue, being a tax collector among people resentful of their tax burden was a dangerous business. Tax collectors during the rebellion were repeatedly threatened, fired upon, and attacked; their families were terrorized; and their property was damaged or destroyed. Rebellion leader David Bradford certainly experienced the temptation and power of riches, and this trip was a reminder of the sinful error of trusting in wealth. May we as Christian homeschoolers teach our children to trust in God alone for provision and may we always model godliness with contentment in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in..
Nicole Hoover is a homeschooling mom of little pioneers who enjoy beeswax candles and pianofortes in western Pennsylvania.
