What is one similarity between Shay's Rebellion in 1786 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791?

A.

They both demonstrate the ability of government to maintain a standing army.

B.

They both demonstrate the importance of the government in dealing with conflicts.

C.

They both demonstrate the protections that the Constitution gives to individuals.

D.

They both demonstrate the authority that the Constitution gives to the states.

The correct answer is letter B

Shay's Rebellion, which broke out in September 1786, was an armed protest against taxation and debt collection by smallholders. Although it was defeated in January 1787, the word that spread was that thousands of rebels were about to take Boston and march south, distributing all properties along the way. This threat, publicized, among others, by General Henry Knox, shocked a large part of the American elite, concerned with the question of public authority and order and with the inability of the Continental Congress to make States fulfill their obligations.

Farmers and distillers, mainly in western Pennsylvania, were protesting the increase in the 1791 excise duty on whiskey. Not even a significant reduction in these rates as early as the following year calmed the spirits of farmers and entrepreneurs, who from time to time attacked government collection agents.

So President George Washington called on 13,000 militias to "deal with the rebels", but the insurgents dispersed before any major conflict. These events encouraged runaway distillers to take shelter in Kentucky and Tennessee, which were not subject to federal law at the time.

The Whiskey Rebellion, lasted until 1794 and was the first real test of the federal government's ability to enforce US law.