Philadelphia: Printed by Samuel Harrison Smith, 1796. First edition. 8vo. 20th century quarter calf; tape repairs to pp. 161-164; some spotting throughout. ESTC W20462; Evans 30419; Howes F-133; Reese, The Federal Hundred 58; Sabin 24360; Sowerby 532

First edition of one of the earliest accounts of the Whiskey Rebellion.

The Whiskey Rebellion arose due to the imposition of a "whiskey tax" in 1791--the first tax imposed by the federal government on a domestic product, with its primary aim to generate revenue to pay off wartime debt incurred during the War for Independence. For three years, government officials attempting to collect the tax were attacked by Pennsylvania farmers, with tensions reaching a boiling point in 1794 when a United States Marshal issued a writ against distillers who refused to pay. An alarm was raised, and 500 armed men attacked the home of tax inspector John Neville. Eventually, President Washington himself would lead 13,000 militiamen to suppress the insurgency. The event was so divisive that it is cited as one of the key factors in the formation of political parties in the United States. The present work's author, William Findley, despite being a major oppositional voice to Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution, nevertheless played a key role in calming tensions between the insurgents and the federal government.