In the summer of 1794, tensions between farmers and creditors in western Pennsylvania boiled over into violence. A group of armed farmers, calling themselves the "Associators," began to attack and seize the property of anyone they saw as an enemy. In response, President George Washington dispatched a force of 13,000 militiamen to put down the rebellion.
In a report to Congress, Alexander Hamilton described the events in Pennsylvania as an "insurgent" and "insurrection." By using these words, Hamilton was trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation and avoid calling it a full-blown rebellion. He may have also been trying to avoid provoking even more violence by using language that was less inflammatory.
The situation in Pennsylvania was eventually resolved without any major bloodshed. However, the episode showed how quickly tensions could boil over into violence in the early days of the republic. It also showed the importance of having a strong central government that was able to quickly put down any internal threats to the stability of the country.
