The United States had its first mutiny on this week in Philly history

The Constitution was not written yet, and soldiers had not yet let down their guard, when the United States had its first mutiny.

And, naturally, it all went down in Philadelphia.

The weeklong saga started in late June 1783, when a group of unpaid Revolutionary War soldiers marched against the country’s primitive government, then called the Confederation Congress, and sent them fleeing from Philly to Princeton, N.J.

There was a two-year delay between England’s surrender in 1781 and the end of peace negotiations that culminated with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in September 1783.

And the troops who fought for independence and remained on duty wanted to get paid.

Financial overseer Robert Morris thought it could take years to figure out the claims and payments for members of the Continental Army and state militias. So our new Congress, backed by Gen. George Washington, encouraged soldiers to go home and make money while the government got its act together.

According to the history archives of the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the Pennsylvania militias in Philadelphia and Lancaster were among the least happy with the lack of back pay and their discharge dates.

So on June 20, 1783, they mutinied.

Fewer than 100 officers and militiamen from Lancaster marched toward the seat of the new government in Philadelphia, to meet up with the other disgruntled soldiers.

The show of force, despite being nonviolent, combined with unfounded robbery rumors riled up the members of this crude Congress.

New York’s Alexander Hamilton demanded that the leader of Pennsylvania’s state government, John Dickinson, call in members of the still-loyal state militia to put down the rebellion.

Dickinson objected.

So when the Lancaster troops arrived at the Philly barracks that night, Hamilton decided to try to talk to them, and urge them to return home.

It did not go well.

The troops took exception to Hamilton’s signature arrogance and condescending tone.

The number of troops grew to about 400 by the next day, and they protested outside Independence Hall as their leaders met with Dickinson.

Hamilton pushed for the Confederation Congress to meet for an emergency gathering.

“Soldiers shook their fists and jeered when delegates peered out the windows,” according to House archives. “In the afternoon local tavern keepers, in an effort to calm and cheer the soldiers, gave away drinks — a tactic that unnerved Virginia Delegate James Madison inside.”

Delegates, feeling unsafe and disgusted by the protest, announced on June 22 that the Congress would flee to Princeton.

But when they arrived, the then-small town did not have enough beds for all of the delegates, who would return to Philadelphia four months later.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, order was restored as mutiny leaders fled and remaining mutineers who stayed offered apologies for the attempted rebellion.