William Petrikin immigrated to America from Scotland and settled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania sometime in 1785. He arrived in the midst of a period of intense political activity when, after the victory for independence, citizens across the newly formed republic turned their attention to the formation of their government. "An ardent love of liberty was the cause of his emigration" and he wasted little time in immersing himself in the politics of his new community, state and nation. He was a tailor by trade, and a family man who fervently identified himself as one of the people. Although his educational background is unclear the influence of his Scottish heritage is unmistakable. His writing reveals a man with a sharp wit and extensive knowledge of the political, religious, and philosophical thoughts of his time. His actions are those of a man committed to a cause and willing to fight, if necessary, to defend his ideals.
This paper will explore the life and times of William Petrikin through his words and actions. His involvement in American politics, from the formation of the Constitution to the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794, demonstrates the power of liberty for this founding generation of Americans. William Petrikin's cause was liberty, and he believed that it was the most important thing in our lives; that it was fragile, especially during this formative and tumultuous time, and that it must be defended without regard to cost. His story is important because Petrikin's words and actions resound with the hopes, beliefs and prayers of many Americans even to this day. The ideals that he, and the other Anti-Federalists, promoted and defended played a significant role in the framing of the Constitution, the adoption of The Bill of Rights, and in how many citizens today view their government.
In studying the life of William Petrikin a number of important observations emerge that can reveal not only the dimensions of his thoughts and beliefs, but can help to paint a fresh view of America from the late 1780s to the 1790s and the end of the Federalist Era. Petrikin was approximately 23 years old when he came to America and one of the surprising discoveries about his life is the sophistication of his political thought and the leadership that he displayed among his contemporaries. In tracing his writing and his actions through the events of the Constitutional era, Petrikin clearly shows a love of liberty that in his words and actions he was quick to defend.
In order to clearly understand William Petrikin it is important to comprehend the political and social climate as it existed when he and his family arrived in America in the mid-1780s.
Gordon S. Wood, a historian who has focused on this era in America, provides an excellent starting point when he states "the belief that the 1780s, the years after the peace with Britain, had become the really critical period of the entire Revolution was prevalent everywhere during the decade. By the mid-eighties the oratory and writings were filled with the talk of crisis to the point of redundancy. " This crisis revolved around the urgent need for the citizens of the new nation to agree upon the form and content of their new government. Opinions on this matter varied greatly, and the passions attached to those beliefs were high. Bernard Bailyn observes that "everywhere there were discussions of the ideal nature of government; everywhere principles of politics were examined, institutions weighed, and practices considered." As we will discover Petrikin clearly acted and wrote as if he was in the middle of a crisis and his sense of urgency was evident.
Liberty was the watchword central to this grand, national discussion and understanding its meaning to citizens, like Petrikin, is an important element of this study. John Phillip Reid does an excellent job describing some common views of these ideals. "Three aspects of the eighteenth-century concept ofliberty converged on one point - the fact that it was the most important possession of civilized people, the fact that its existence was precarious, and the fact that it had to be defended or it surely would be lost." Liberty for Petrikin involved ensuring that his voice and the voices of his fellow citizens were heard and that government was localized and responsive to the needs of the majority not an aristocracy.
Toward twilight on the day after Christmas, 1787, Major James A. Wilson and a group of Carlisle's leading Federalist citizens were preparing to celebrate Pennsylvania's recent ratification of the new federal Constitution. After hauling a cannon into the center of town, the revelers gathered round in anticipation of the artillery salute that was to open the festivities.