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Hunter Kingsley

Ms. Reed

English 5

January 16, 2019

Treason Throughout History

In the United States, treason “shall consist only in levying War against [United States], or

in adhering to their Enemies, giving them aid and comfort” (Augustyn et. al. 4). Throughout

history, treason is a crime that few people have committed when compared to other offenses

because it is difficult to escape punishment for. The definition of treason has also been revised

many times. In the past, there were two types of treason: petty, eventually downgraded to

murder, and high, which evolved into today’s definition in the United States.

A famous instance of treason happened in the early days of America. This incident was

about the Whiskey Tax. After America gained their independence, they needed to try and pay off

their debts. One of the taxes they imposed a direct tax on distilled sprints, which is liquor. This

means that most the farmers that produced whiskey or other forms of alcohol are taxed directly

by the government. The farmers became displeased that this tax was placed on them. The

government ended up having trouble collecting the tax at all, and other people took a more

violent route. Some of the protestors went out and harassed the tax collectors by tarring and

feathering them. After a few years of this reoccurring, George Washington traveled to

Pennsylvania to stop the rebellion. When he arrived, his militia “arrested 150 rebels, which

included 20 influential leaders” (Treason 12). Most of the people arrested were released due to a

lack of evidence, but two people were convicted of treason. Afterwards, George Washington

pardoned the two men. After the rebellion disbanded, most of the people who were arrested
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ended up going back to their daily lives. This instance was the only act of treason in the United

States for an extensive period.

Examples of treason were not prevalent in times peace, which is why cases started

appearing again about 150 years later, during and after the Second World War. A fair amount of

treason convictions came from WWII, which happened right before Mildred Gillars, better

known as “Axis Sally,” was convicted. Gillars was a woman who “moved to Germany to study

the piano” (Treason 17). Later hired by the German government, she broadcasted propaganda for

Americans to listen. She ridiculed Roosevelt, the president at the time, as well as discouraged

American soldiers on the front lines. Her arrest and sentencing happened after Hitler fell, and she

gained “10-30 years in prison” (Treason 18). She went on parole, was released, and lived the rest

of her life in seclusion.

Around the world, treason is a crime that is seen as not easy to evade punishment for. It

requires a level-headed person to organize and lead a rebellion, but history shows that many of

the people who were captured and convicted did not have goals beyond themselves. Most of the

people that failed did what they did for reasons that benefited solely themselves. Others acted out

of pure emotion, which history has shown to not work well.

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Works Cited

Augustyn, Adam; Bauler, Patricia; Duignan, Brian; Eldridge, Alison; Gregerson, Erik;

Luebering, J.E.; Mckenna, Amy; Petruzzello, Melisa; Rafferty, John P.; Ray, Michael;

Rogers, Kara; Tikkanen, Amy; Wallenfeldt, Jeff; Zeidan, Adam; & Zelazko, Alicja.

“Treason.” Encylopeadia Britannica. Encylopeadia Britannica. 2019.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/treason. January 18, 2019.

“Treason.” Find Law. Find Law. © 2019. https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-

charges/treason.html. January 17, 2019

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