The Whiskey Rebellion arose in the early 1790s when the U.S. government imposed an excise tax on whiskey to help reduce the national debt. This tax was particularly burdensome for farmers in western Pennsylvania, who often distilled surplus grain into whiskey to make it easier to transport and sell. Resentment against the tax quickly grew into protest and civil unrest. By 1794, the protests escalated into violence, with tax collectors being threatened and even assaulted. The conflict posed a significant challenge to the fledgling federal government, which had recently been established under the U.S. Constitution.<br> In response to the rebellion, President George Washington sought to assert federal authority and ensure the rule of law. He believed that allowing the rebellion to go unchecked would undermine the government's legitimacy. To quell the unrest, Washington invoked the Militia Acts of 1792, which allowed him to call up state militias. Washington personally led an army of approximately 13,000 troops into western Pennsylvania, marking a decisive moment in the exercise of federal power.<br> The show of force effectively ended the rebellion without significant bloodshed. Most of the rebel leaders were arrested, although they were later pardoned. The federal government's response demonstrated its willingness to use military force to uphold its laws, establishing a precedent for federal intervention in domestic unrest and highlighting the tensions between federal authority and local resistance. The successful suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion solidified the power of the federal government and set the stage for future conflicts between the government and its citizens over tax policy and individual rights.