Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783

Infobox Historical Event
Event_Name = Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783


Image_Caption = Independence Hall in Philadelphia
AKA = Philadelphia Mutiny
Participants = Congress of the Confederation, Pennsylvania militiamen
Location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date = June 20, 1783
Result = Capital moved from Philadelphia, creation of federal districtThe Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 (also known as the Philadelphia Mutiny) was an anti-government protest by nearly 400 soldiers of the Continental Army in June 1783. The mutiny, and the refusal of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania to stop it, ultimately resulted in Congress vacating Philadelphia and the creation of a federal district to serve as the national capital.

Background

From March 1781, the Congress of the Confederation and the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were situated at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Under the authority of the Articles of Confederation, the national government did not have direct control over the military, except in times of war, and was largely reliant on the use of state militias to enforce laws and keep order. [cite book | last = McLaughlin | first = Andrew | title = A Constitutional History of the United States | publisher = D. Appleton-Century Company | date = 1936 | location = New York | url = http://www.constitution.org/cmt/mclaughlin/chus.htm ]

On June 17, 1783, Congress received a message from soldiers of the Continental Army stationed in Philadelphia, which demanded payment for their service during the American Revolutionary War. The soldiers threatened to take action that day if their complaints were not addressed. Congress ignored their message, but the soldiers did not act on their threat. Two days later, however, the Congress received word that a group of about 80 soldiers had left their post at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, approximately convert|60|mi|km west of Philadelphia, and had joined with the soldiers stationed at the city barracks. The group of approximately 500 men had effective control over the weapons stores and munition depot.cite book | last = Flexner | first = James Thomas | title = The Young Hamilton | publisher = Fordham University Press | date = 1997 | location = New York | pages = 417-25 | isbn = 978-0823217908 ]

Protests

The next morning on June 20, Independence Hall was mobbed by as many as 400 soldiers demanding payment. The soldiers blocked the door and initially refused to allow the delegates to leave. Alexander Hamilton, then a delegate from New York, persuaded the soldiers to allow Congress to meet later to address their concerns. The soldiers did allow the members of Congress to peacefully adjourn that afternoon.cite book | last = Powe | first = Lucas | title = The Fourth Estate and the Constitution | publisher = University of California Press | date = 1992 | location = Berkeley, California | pages = 31 | isbn = 978-0520080386 ] That evening, a small Congressional committee, headed by Hamilton, met in secret to draft a message to the Pennsylvania Council, asking them to protect Congress from the mutineers. The letter threatened that Congress would be forced to move elsewhere if the Council did not act.

On June 21, the Congressional committee met again at Independence Hall with members of the Pennsylvania Executive Council, including its president, John Dickinson. The members of Congress asked the council to do more to protect the national government. Dickinson and the council agreed to consult with the militia commanders and reply to Congress the next day. The following morning, the Pennsylvania Council again refused Congress' request. Lacking sufficient assurances that the state would be willing to protect Congress, the members left Philadelphia that day for Princeton, New Jersey.

Effect

:"See also: List of capitals in the United States"There are three reasons put forth as to why Dickinson and the Pennsylvania Council did not act. The Council's official reasoning was that they were unsure that the local militiamen would actually protect Congress from their fellow soldiers. Further, the council may have thought that the conflict was not as serious as Congress believed and that the mutiny could be resolved peacefully. The second theory put forth is that Dickinson, having been an officer in the militia, was sympathetic to the soldier's grievances. The third theory is that the Council refused to allow Pennsylvania, a sovereign state, to be subjugated by the demands of a few members of Congress.After Congress completed its business at Princeton in early November 1783, the capital was moved later that month to Annapolis, Maryland, then to Trenton, New Jersey in November 1784, and finally to New York City in January 1785. It was not until the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that delegates decided to meet again in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania's failure to protect the institutions of the national government, however, was a primary reason why the framers of the Constitution decided to create a federal district, distinct from the states, where Congress could provide for its own security.cite book |last=Crew |first=Harvey W. |coauthors=William Bensing Webb, John Wooldridge |title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D. C. |publisher=United Brethren Publishing House |date=1892 |location=Dayton, Ohio |page=66 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5Q81AAAAIAAJ "...Congress then sitting in Philadelphia was threatened by a mob of dissatisfied soldiers. This event took place in June, 1783, and was the cause of great excitement and controversy. Its importance in the history of the country is great, for from it may be dated the first decided intimation of a fixed and permanent seat of government; in other words, the necessity of a National Capital City, under the sole and exclusive control of the Congress, and independent of all State government and influence."] cite web|url=http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/history/faq.htm#capital |title=The President's House in Philadelphia |accessdate=2008-08-27 |date=1995-07-04 |publisher=Independence Hall Association ] The delegates therefore agreed in Article One, Section 8, of the United States Constitution to give the Congress the power "to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States". [ cite web|url=http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html |title=Constitution of the United States |accessdate=2008-07-22 |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration ]

Following the ratification of the United States Constitution by the state of New York in 1788, the delegates agreed to keep New York City as the temporary federal capital. In 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which created the District of Columbia, located on the banks Potomac River between the states of Maryland and Virginia, to serve as the new federal capital. Robert Morris, a representative from Pennsylvania, convinced Congress to return to Philadelphia while the new permanent capital was being built. As a result, the Residence Act also declared Philadelphia to be the temporary capital for a period of 10 years. [ cite web|url=http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Residence.html |title=Residence Act: Primary Documents in American History |accessdate=2008-06-10 |date=2007-09-21 |publisher=Library of Congress ] In a final attempt to convince Congress to keep the capital in Philadelphia, the city began construction on a new Presidential palace and an expansion to Congress Hall. However, their efforts failed, and the national government relocated from Philadelphia for the final time on May 14, 1800. [cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_item/Nine_Capitals_of_the_United_States.htm|title=The Nine Capitals of the United States |publisher=United States Senate|accessdate=2008-09-07]

References

Further reading

*cite book | last = Hamilton | first = Alexander | coauthors = Henry Cabot Lodge | title = Complete Works | publisher = G.P. Putnam's Sons | date = 1904 | location = New York | pages = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=xu2C97k_ix8C
*cite book | last = Webster | first = Noah | title = History of the United States | publisher = Wilcox & Dickerman Company | date = 1832 | location = New York | pages = | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=jGcAAAAAYAAJ