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The Thomas Jefferson Discussion Group
of Orlando, Florida
Meeting No. 67 - February 11, 2009
Holiday House Restaurant, Orlando, Florida
THIS MONTH'S TOPIC:
Insurgency: Now and Then
For many of us the word "insurgency" was not part of our active vocabulary until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It was used to describe the violent resistance by a segment of the population to the new, American installed, Iraqi government and American occupation.
Soon after our Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, and was put into operation on September 13, 1788 by a vote in Congress, the authority of our new government was challenged by a group of citizens in Western Pennsylvania.
Wednesday night we’ll discuss what Alexander Hamilton called "The Whiskey Rebellion." Happening between 1791 and 1794, it could also be called America’s first insurgency (Shays’ Rebellion occurred between 1786 and 1787 under the Articles of Confederation, prior to the Constitution).
Thomas Jefferson thought it was healthy! What do you think? Are there any conditions in a country that can justify an insurgency? Could the current plan to move billions of dollars from the private to public sector at the tax payers’ expense be grounds for challenging the government’s authority? What would Jefferson think?
Hope to see you on Wednesday, February 11, at about 6:30 at the Holiday House in the La Quinta Hotel at the I-4 / Lee Road interchange, to discuss this interesting event in our country’s history and how it relates to our world today.
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