(1799) Uprising, in opposition to a federal property tax, by farmers in eastern Pennsylvania.
To raise money for an anticipated war with France, in 1798 the U.S. Congress voted a direct tax on real property. The tax was widely resented, and an armed group of German farmers, led by John Fries (с 1750–1818), forced the release of tax resisters held by federal marshals. Pres. John Adams sent federal troops to arrest the rebels, who were tried for treason. Fries was convicted and sentenced to be hanged, but Adams pardoned him in 1800.