Fries Rebellion
About Fries Rebellion
Fries Rebellion, also called the House Tax Rebellion, occurred in Pennsylvania in 1799. German American farmers protested a federal direct tax on houses. The tax was based on the number and size of windows in each house, similar to the English window tax. Assessors who came to measure windows were met with resistance. John Fries led armed groups that intimidated assessors and freed arrested tax resisters. President Adams declared the rebellion and sent federal troops. Fries and two others were convicted of treason and sentenced to death but pardoned by Adams. The rebellion demonstrated that domestic tax resistance continued even after the Constitution. The direct tax on houses was repealed in 1802 by the Jefferson administration.
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