Early U.S. History ‑ Federalism and Shay's Rebellion

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Shays’ Rebellion

What Caused Shays’ Rebellion? The farmers who fought in the Revolutionary War had received little compensation, and by the 1780s many were struggling to make ends meet. Businesses in Boston and elsewhere demanded immediate payment for goods that farmers had previously bought on credit and often paid off through barter. There was no paper money […]

Federalist Papers

Articles of Confederation As the first written constitution of the newly independent United States, the Articles of Confederation nominally granted Congress the power to conduct foreign policy, maintain armed forces and coin money. But in practice, this centralized government body had little authority over the individual states, including no power to levy taxes or regulate […]

Whiskey Rebellion

What Caused the Whiskey Rebellion? During the American Revolution, individual states incurred significant amounts of debt. In 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt. He also suggested an excise tax on whiskey to prevent further financial difficulty. President George Washington was opposed to Hamilton’s suggestion of a […]

Alien and Sedition Acts

Dueling Political Parties The Federalist Party, which supported a strong central government, had largely dominated politics in the new nation before 1796 when John Adams won election as the second U.S. president. In opposition to the Federalists stood the Democratic‑Republican Party, also known as Jeffersonians for their ideological leader, Thomas Jefferson. The Democratic‑Republican Party (forerunner […]