THE WHISKEY REBELLION QUIZ
by Richard R. Gideon
How’s your Whiskey Rebellion IQ? Take this fun quiz and find out!
The answers are available at the bottom of the quiz, but no fair cheating – or we’ll raise your taxes!
1. For country distillers, the original 1791 whiskey tax was:
a. 5% of the sales price
b. progressive, and based on annual sales
c. 60 cents per gallon for the capacity of the still, or 9 cents per gallon produced
d. 50 cents per gallon produced
2. The “fourth survey” district of Pennsylvania consisted of the counties of
a. Allegheny, Washington, Fayette, Westmoreland, and Bedford
b. Beaver, Allegheny, Washington, Greene, and Fayette
c. Washington, Fayette, Westmoreland, Butler, and Allegheny
d. Washington, Ohio, Fayette, Westmoreland, and Allegheny
3. The official in charge of the fourth survey was
a. Abraham Kirkpatrick
b. John Neville
c. Isaac Craig
d. John Woods
4. Until the time of the Whiskey Rebellion, the average western farmer’s yearly cash income was
a. 0 – $20
b. $100 – $500
c. $1000 – $2000
d. over $2000
5. In the fourth survey of Pennsylvania, persons accused of not paying the whiskey tax stood trial in
a. Pittsburgh
b. Philadelphia
c. Uniontown
d. Washington
6. In September of 1792, Alexander Hamilton informed President Washington: “In the four western counties of Pennsylvania and in the greater part of _________ it has never been in any degree submitted to.”
a. Virginia
b. Georgia
c. North Carolina
d. South Carolina
7. Many founding fathers were opposed to an “internal excise tax.” Who said the following: “Look at the part which speaks of excises, and you will recollect that those who are to collect excises and duties are to be aided by military force…”
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. George Washington
c. Edmund Randolph
d. Patrick Henry
8. Antifederalists were sometimes called “the Friends of Liberty.” Federalists were sometimes called
a. the Friends of Washington.
b. the Friends of Order.
c. American Tories.
d. Jacobins
9. The beginning of direct action against the government may be traced to the attempt by US Marshal David Lennox, aided by General John Neville, to serve a writ on a local farmer named
a. John Stockdale
b. Benjamin Parkinson
c. Harmon Husband
d. William Miller
10. On the 16th of July, 1794, a contingent of the local militia consisting of “37 guns” and led by John Holcroft marched to the mansion of General John Neville (called “Bower Hill”). Neville fired a gun into the crowd, killing
a. Oliver Miller
b. James McFarlane
c. John Holcroft
d. Hugh H. Brackenridge
11. On the 17th of July, 1794, the militia returned to “Bower Hill,” this time numbering between 500 to 700 men. They were led by Major James McFarlane. The militia was opposed by a small number of soldiers from Ft. Pitt, and ______ that General Neville had armed.
a. women family members
b. slaves
c. local farmers
d. other local tax collectors
12. The confrontation on the 17th of July, 1794, lasted over an hour. During the firefight _____ was killed when he stepped from behind a tree, thinking the other side had called for a cease fire.
a. General Neville
b. Major Kirkpatrick
c. Major McFarlane
d. Marshal Lennox
13. David Bradford of Washington, PA, is said to have been the “official” leader of the Whiskey Rebels. As the US Army arrived in western Pennsylvania, Bradford escaped to
a. Kentucky
b. Spain
c. France
d. Bayou Sara
14. In a satire published in the Pittsburgh Gazette of 23 August 1794, the writer mocked the proposal for a Federal army to enter the western region of Pennsylvania to suppress the rebellion, calling such a force a
a. “Watermelon Army”
b. “90 Day Wonder”
c. rag-tag force
d. “Lady’s Militia”
15. Federal supporters had their own derisive term for the Whiskey Rebels, calling them
a. country bumpkins
b. the “Buckskin Brutes”
c. “White Indians”
d. “Know-Nothings”
16. This Presbyterian minister, educated at Princeton, and opposed to the Whiskey Excise Tax, nonetheless did not tolerate rebellion, and refused to give communion to the rebels:
a. Thomas McKean
b. John McMillan
c. William McKinley
d. John M’Masters
17. The Whiskey Rebels (and many others) were supportive of and influenced by this international event, occurring concurrently with the Whiskey Rebellion:
a. The French Revolution
b. The English Civil War
c. The Bolshevik Revolution
d. The Revolt of West Florida
18. In which of the following states was the Whiskey Excise tax considered a “dead letter”:
a. Pennsylvania
b. Virginia
c. Kentucky
d. New York
19. Because of his opposition to the Whiskey Excise and his “moderating influence” upon the Whiskey Rebels, this man, a Federalist and supporter of the US Constitution, was equally distrusted by both the leaders of the rebellion and the Federal government:
a. William Findley
b. William Bradford
c. Hugh Henry Brackenridge
d. David Lennox
20. During the height of the Whiskey Rebellion the rebels produced a flag of their own which, according to eyewitnesses of the day, was described as:
a. “..an Eagle upon a field of blue, with 13 assorted stars”
b. “..a flag of six stripes, emblematical of the six counties there represented”
c. “..a flag with an azure ground upon which was embroidered the Arms of Pennsylvania, with the horses recumbent”
d. “..a white flag with the words, ‘Surety of Death and Taxes,’ and fitting for fools”
ANSWERS: The questions for THE WHISKEY REBELLION QUIZ came from three sources:
1. Whiskey Rebels by Leland D. Baldwin
2. The Whiskey Rebellion by Thomas P. Slaughter
3. Incidents of the Insurrection by Hugh Henry Brackenridge
Page numbers and attribution are given for the correct answers.
1. C – p68 – Baldwin
2. A – p68 – Baldwin
3. B – p3 – Slaughter
4. A – p10 – Baldwin
5. B – p177 – Slaughter
6. C – p120 – Slaughter
7. D – p25 – Slaughter
8. B – p127 – Slaughter
9. D – p113 – Baldwin
10. A – p179 – Slaughter
11. B – p116 – Baldwin
12. C – p180 – Slaughter
13. D – p267 – Slaughter
14. A – p192 – Baldwin
15. C – p192 – Baldwin
16. B – p49 – Baldwin
17. A – p91 – Slaughter
18. C – p117 – Slaughter
19. C – p213 – Brackenridge
20. B – p137 – Brackenridge
