Mob tars and feathers revenue agent during Whiskey Rebellion 1794 Down the Rabbit Hole I don’t know what gave me the initial thought, whether it was the word "revenuers" or the Whisky Rebellion, let’s just say that one or the other led me down a very interesting rabbit hole. The Whiskey Rebellion was one of the first challenges for our young nation to face. It occurred in western Pennsylvania in 1794 when the farmers there had difficulties transporting their crops across the Allegheny mountains. It was much easier to distill their grains, producing whiskey that could be transported over the mountains. Eastern distillers, who produced much more whiskey did not like competition that the western distillers presented.  At the same time our young United States government needed money. So Alexander Hamilton As the first Secretary of the Treasury, attached a tax to whiskey. The tax on the western farmers was higher than that charged to the eastern distillers. Needless to say, people...

4th Of July Fireworks Vectors by Vecteezy It's celebration time--time for picnics and water sports, hotdogs and watermelon. And after a day of fun and food we top it off with firework shows for a spectacular finish. Through it all one important factor that we celebrate is our American Spirit. One article that inspired this blog is called  The American Spirit: What Does It Mean? It is full of inspiring quotes and examples of the American Spirit.  Canada Day was Saturday, July 1, and the US will celebrate Independence Day July 4. Our countries are great friends now, but at one point, the US invaded Canada! Some of my distant relatives were part of the militia protecting their homes in Upper Canada, as Ontario was known in 1812. Canada is part of the American continent, and is part of the American Spirit we want to discuss today. - Valorie Our history is full of examples of former enemies uniting in friendship and amity, by focusing on shared values. When we declared independenc...