The Whiskey Rebellion

[Squire Robertsson]

A while back in discussing treason in the US, the Whiskey Rebellion came up.

 

[AustinC]

Radical individualism.
The narrative explains that those who complied with registering their stills often found their stills destroyed by the radical individualists calling themselves the Whiskey Boys.
These radicals showed no concern for God's word which called them to compliance. Instead they fought God's ordained government by attempting to justify their actions.

It's funny how history repeats itself with the radical individualist right acting similarly today.

*Romans 13:1-8*

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

@AustinC If I understand the video, there were two underlying problems.
The first is the tax had to be paid in cash, which few had on the frontier. So, if I wanted to pay the tax I couldn't. My household didn't have the cash to pay it. Radical individualism was not a factor.
The second was the only federal courts that could hear the cases were located in Philidelphia, three hundred miles away.

 

[AustinC]

@AustinC If I understand the video, there were two underlying problems.
The first is the tax had to be paid in cash, which few had on the frontier. So, if I wanted to pay the tax I couldn't. My household didn't have the cash to pay it. Radical individualism was not a factor.
The second was the only federal courts that could hear the cases were located in Philidelphia, three hundred miles away.

Certainly getting currency could potentially be hard, but at this time there is no federal bank so each State, and sometimes each bank, created their own currency. It was a big mess and Hamilton was working to standardize things.
We see that people were complying, but the Whiskey Boys became terrorists and started destroying the stills of people who complied. In other words the Whiskey Boys we're similar to the January 6 insurrectionists. They were radically motivated and ultimately bullying others. Washington eventually has to send in the military to put down the Whiskey Boy rebellion, just as the Jan 6 insurrectionists had to be neutralized.

I will, once again, refer to Romans 13. I have a conservative understanding of Romans 13. We either take God's Word in this passage as God declared, or we follow an "ends justify the means" interpretation and get very creative in trying to justify rebellion against God's ordained authority.

David shows me that even if the King is trying to kill me...the King is God's anointed and one doesn't rebel against the King. (in this case the US Government)

 

[Squire Robertsson]

From what I understand, currency was all but impossible to obtain for the average farmer on the frontier. That is why whiskey as an item of barter was so important. If I wanted to pay the tax. I didn't have the cash to do so.

 

[AustinC]

From what I understand, currency was all but impossible to obtain for the average farmer on the frontier. That is why whiskey as an item of barter was so important. If I wanted to pay the tax. I didn't have the cash to do so.

Clearly, however, some were able to register their stills and comply with the law, but the Whiskey Boys destroyed their stills when they obeyed the law. The Whiskey Boys we're attempting to be anarchists.

I don't doubt the west was working off from a barter economy nor do I doubt the difficulty in figuring out what currency would be acceptable, even if you could pay. There were significant difficulties in uniting groups after the stable government of Great Britain was overturned.

The facts still remain that every believer is bound under Romans 13 and clearly there were extreme individualists who wanted to do their own thing rather than follow the rules of law set forth by this young and inexperienced nation unifying 13 States as one.

Washington had to do what he had to do in order to stave off anarchy.

 

[Marooncat79]

My son 34yrs old told me about 10 yrs ago he had never heard of it and not the Barbary Wars

interesting eh

he learned for real about history after that