Whiskey Rebellion flag, Whiskey Rebelion flag, tax protest, tax protest flag, 1794

At issue was a tax on whiskey that had been established as a way to pay off debts from the Revolutionary War. The Rebellion ocurred primarily in Western Pennsylvania and involved many demonstrations, protests and skirmishes with authorities. Some of these turned violent, including tax agents being tarred & feathered, buildings set afire and several deaths. Many of the most significant events ocurred in and around Pittsburgh. In 1794, George Washington sent 12,500 troops to suppress the Rebellion, personally leading them as far as Bedford, PA. By the time the federal army arrived in Pittsburgh an advance delegation had met with rebel leaders to negotiate an end to violence and the troops withdrew without firing a shot. Two historic sites from the Whiskey Rebellion still exist in the Pittsburgh area, within a few miles of The Flag Factory: (1) Oliver Miller Homestead ( where the first shots of the Whiskey Rebellion were fired ) and (2) Woodville Plantation ( owned by tax agent John Neville, whose other home was burned to the ground by an angry mob ).

The Flag Factory offers two different interpretations of the flag of the period that has come to be known as the "Whiskey Rebellion Flag".