securing the northwest territory battle of fallen timbers the whiskey rebellion
TRANSCRIPT
Securing the Northwest Territory
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Whiskey Rebellion
Challenges to the New Government
Washington understood that America needed peace in order to prosper
However trouble brewed in the Trans-Appalachian West, over the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
Spain, Britain, United States, and Native Americans all claimed land
Securing the Northwest Territory
Spanish TerritoryMuch of North America west of the MississippiFloridaPort of New Orleans at the Mouth of the
MississippiPort of New Orleans was critical for trade
Americans sent goods down the Mississippi to the Port
Spanish threats to close the Port were taken very seriously
Spanish caused trouble amongst white settlers and Native American groups
Securing the Northwest Territory
Strongest resistance to white settlement came from Native Americans in the Northwest TerritoryTerritory = border by the Ohio River to the
south and Canada to the NorthNative Americans hoped to join together to
form an independent Native American nationWas supported by the British
Eventually, Native Americans and white settlers clashed over the Territory
Securing the Northwest Territory
Washington sent troops to the Ohio Valley, believing that the Northwest Territory was critical to the security and growth of America
Federal army was defeated by Little Turtle in 1790
Washington sent troops westNative Americans were later defeated
at the Battle of Fallen Timbers Named Battle of Fallen Timbers
because trees had been blown over by a storm
Native Americans signed the Treaty of Greenville Agreed to cede, or surrender, much of
present-day Ohio and Indiana to the US
Battle of Fallen Timbers
Conflict arose over the government’s tax on whiskey, part of Hamilton’s financial plan
Outraged farmers from Pennsylvania to GeorgiaWhiskey and the grain it was made from, were
important productsGrains could be transported much easier in liquid
formHorses could carry 2 bushels of rye or two barrels of
rye whiskey (= to 24 bushels of rye)
The Whiskey RebellionWhiskey Rebellion Movie Trailer
Whiskey is more expensive than grain
Farmers usually traded whiskey for other goods, such as salt, and sugar
Whiskey = more $$$In 1794, group of farmers in
western Pennsylvania staged the Whiskey Rebellion against the taxTar and feathered a tax
collectorThreatened an armed attack
on Pittsburgh
The Whiskey Rebellion
Washington, urged on by Hamilton, had to crush the Whiskey RebellionNot doing so might undermine the new
government and weaken its authorityWashington sent 13,000 soldiers to dispel the
uprisingRebels fledWashington showed that the government had
the power and the will to enforce its laws
The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was the first test of the federal government’s constitutional power to tax. Some criticized Washington for sending troops to face American citizens, but his actions enforced the federal government’s authority. Washington made the point that the Constitution is the law of the land and must be obeyed.
Impact…