Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-06-07
AMERICAN REBELLf0NS.
The SIX Insurre..tionary Outbreaks in
This Country y-SkeIeh OF their Cha arac-
ter and Scope.

The Philadelphia Eeening Bulletin
( publishes the following interesting sketch
Of the different rebe lions which have oc-
Cured in the United States
Before the gigantic rebellion that is
now in its death throes, there have been
SIX instructions. or so called insurrec-
tIonS, or attempted instructions, since
the formation of the Federal Government
Some of these outbreaks were rather
/ riots, or blooiless demonstrations of pop-
uiar dlScontent; but they are generally
called lnsurrections and it Is sufficient
! iof our present purpose to so consider
them
W bat is papnlarly known rs Shay's re-
| hellIon Is the first instance of organized
resistance to lawful g0vernmenJ in the
! United States In 1856 Daniel Shay, a
Q tIZen OF Massachusetts, became the
leader, of n party of macontents in the
I old Bay State, which had organized to
right such grievances rs hea V State taxa
| ton, tie high salary of the Governor, the
aristocratic tendencies of the State, and
other similar local Grie ~ances. It was
entirely family quarrel, and the State
! troops settled the difficulty hy killing
! three of the insurgents and woundin@
others SHAY, and some of his fellow
InSurr'ctloniSts, were captured, and sub
! sequentlv tried, convicted and sen enced
t to death; but all were finally pardoned,
and thus ended Shav's rebellion.
| The Whisky Tnsurrection in Pennsvl-
vania, towards the close of the adminis~
tration OF President Washington. was a
more formidable outbreak 1t arose from
/ discomfort caused by the heavy excise tax
/ imposed by Congress upon distilled domes
/ TIC spirits. This insurrection ended with
ont bloodshed, and if we mistake not, q
| namesake and ancestor of the present
rebel General Robert z. Lee held promi
nent command in the troops sent to en-
| force obedience to the laws Of the United
| States
| Burr 6 enterprise, in 1907, the precise
meaning of which has never been clearly
| made out, but which is believed to have
! been the intended invasion of Mexico.
and the formation Of great Southwest
! ern Empire, was the next revolutionary
movement In that case no overt act Of
| treason was committed. and the trial of
/ Burr, in Richmond, resulted in m ahan>
! comment OF the prosecution by the Gov
| ernmeut, and the acquittal of the ac~
| cused
Notification in South Carolina in 1882
was in its effects, Il moe mischievous
revolutionary effort than either Of those
/ that had preceded it: but in this case
/ there WAS no blood shed, no overt act of
war, md no runishment inflicted upon
any of the leaders.
DORIS rebellion in Rhode Island, near
! " or quite a quarter of a century aro has
I frequently been referred to hv Southern
| rebels, along with Shays rebellion the
/ Whskev Insurrection and Burrs faScO.
! hy- &C ovo,,ro C,r tIa ~,
/ actors IN these movements hein@ Northern
men But there is no parallel among anv
/ "f tho cases spoken Of Dorr found Rhode
! Island governed hv IN old charter granted
h" State by Charles H. rs far back a.
/ 1868, He acitated its rennal and upon y
/ pnnHlar vote its ab-oration was ordained.
and he was elected Governor unon the re-
7 form ticket Gov King and the charter
/ party which he led refused TO recognize
/ the act OF the people claiming that the
/ charter was perpetual and unalterahle
and it could noj he amo-ded or repealed
md armed resistance was made to the
. Dorrfies. John Tavlor. then accidental
/ President. sent United States troops to
aid the State forces of Rhode Island in
tn air anti Republican stand. and after q
/ hloodleSs struggle (exccpt that an inno-
cent cow was shot hv mistake ~ n pickat.)
Gov Dorr was arrested, tried and senten-
ced to imprisonment for life He was
/ afterwards hardened, the record Of his
sentence ordered to he oxpunged. and he
/ lived to SEQ the o q m0nnrchioaI charter le-
@allv abolished and q Republican constitu-
ton adopted
John Browns famous raid into Virginia
/ in 1889 comes next in CHRONOLOGICAL order
among tho recognized American out
! breaks. John Brown, n cracked Drained
enthusiast with a score of followers. made
war upon Virginia, and, in pursuit of q
wild project oT freeing tbs slaves in the
] Old Dominion. he took n0ssessinn of Uni
/ tel States property at Harpors Ferry, and
he broke the laws Of the Commonwealth
of Virginia That State dealt ont harsh
Justice to the offenders. and hut n single
soul Of them escaped Those who were
not killed in the unequal firht. or murder
ed after thew were made prisoners. were
hanged, and Virginia made herself almost
rs ridiculous in her wholesale sanruinarv
settling Of accounts with the raiders. as
she had before made herself bv her child
ish fears and trepidation.
The grcatrehellion which began in 1861.
and whicl now seems 10 he in its last
gasp. is the next outbreak and we nav
well hope that its costly lesson viii not
need to he learned over again for genera-
tons to come