The Federalists regained some popularity with other treaties that extracted major concessions in the West. Indian resistance in the Northwest Territory was crushed, and Spain's agreement to favorable American terms in Pinckney's Treaty reduced threats to the Southwest. Ironically, the unpopular Jay Treaty brought advantages to the United States in the western region. English posts in the Northwest Territory had supplied and encouraged Indian raids on American settlements. The U. S. Army failed to defeat the Indians until the battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), which led to the Treaty of Greenville and Indian removal from what is now Ohio. While the Indians were in this desperate condition, the English deserted them and pulled back into Canada.
The Whiskey Rebellion. Part of Hamilton's financial plan to deal with the national debt was an excise tax on whiskey, to be collected at the distilleries. Protests erupted in western Pennsylvania against what they saw as an unfair tax. The Federalists branded the civil unrest caused by the Whiskey Rebellion as Republican agitation stirred up for political reasons. Jefferson felt the Federalists were using the episode as an excuse to create an army for the purpose of intimidating Republicans. The Federalist reaction was similar to that against the Daniel Shays rebellion in Massachusetts—order must be maintained. Washington ordered the raising of militia from three states and personally led an army of 15,000 into Pennsylvania to put down the rebellion. (That was more troops than he had commanded during the Revolution.)
During Washington's terms, three more states were added to the union. When New York and New Hampshire relinquished claims to Vermont, she was admitted in 1791. As the western portions of Virginia and North Carolina had been ceded back to the federal government, Kentucky and Tennessee were admitted in 1792 and 1796.
World History
