Which rebellion was significant for showcasing the federal government's strength under the new Constitution?

The Whiskey Rebellion is significant for showcasing the federal government's strength under the new Constitution because it demonstrated the government's ability to enforce its laws and maintain order. This rebellion, which took place in the 1790s, arose in response to a federal excise tax on whiskey that many frontiersmen found burdensome.

When protests escalated to violence, the federal government, led by President George Washington, responded decisively. Washington personally led a militia of nearly 13,000 troops to suppress the rebellion, highlighting the federal government's willingness and capability to exercise its authority. The successful quelling of the uprising established the principle that the federal government had the power to enforce its laws directly, thus reinforcing the legitimacy of the Constitution. This event illustrated a shift from the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, under which the national government struggled to maintain order and enforce its policies.

In contrast, Shays' Rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and Nat Turner's Rebellion and John Brown's Raid were more focused on issues of slavery and abolition than on the balance of federal and state power in the nascent United States.