The Whiskey Rebellion

Majority of the economy stayed the same this time period. Similar to the state before the war, America’s main source for income was agriculture. In fact, agriculture was such an important trait to America that people were rewarded to promote it (Document F). Before the Revolution, there was conflict between elites and farmers. Similarly, Shay’s Rebellion, which occurred after the Revolution, took place because the farmers were fed up with the lack of “equal distribution of property” and a paper currency among the farmers and rich landowners (Document

Imagine being an active participant in the American Revolution in the late 1700s. Not only that, imagine being on the side fighting for your freedom. The war ends, you're in the clear for a leisurely life of freely doing what you please, and you're happy. You're also a farmer that happens to be located in Pennsylvania. Before you know it, Congress comes to the decision to pass a tax on the production and distribution of whiskey, one of your main crops. What? Woah, woah, woah, wait a minute, did you not just fight a whole war against the taxes being imposed on you? A war for your rights? This can't be right, it just cannot be. Ah, but it is all too true. In the 1790s, a tax was passed that raised the price on distributing whiskey. This

The Whiskey Rebellion marked a shift in American politics toward what is experienced in the United States today. Rather than every conflict resulting in bloodshed, many conflicts are handled politically through elections, much like how the opposition to the distilled spirit tax effectively won with the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800, as he repealed the excise tax. Though it was not a perfect exercise in learning from past mistakes, The Whiskey Rebellion saw a sizeable shift in how the United States handled conflict in government and politics, evidenced in its own events and further by the conclusion of the election of 1800, when the country saw its first peaceful shift of power from the Federalist Party to the Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson’s victory. The shift from constant violence and rebellion to peaceful resolution of conflicts is what makes the Whiskey Rebellion and its conclusion important, especially in the context of the violence of the preceding American

Deference played a crucial role in early American politics and was seen as key to the republic. The framers of the Constitution bore the notion of deference, submissiveness or subordination to social elites, in mind and firmly believed that the American public would behave in such a manner. However, by early 19th century, it is clear that deferential political behavior has declined. Two major causes arguably of this decline are the Revolutionary War and later, the Sedition Act.

The Shays rebellion was a rebellion in which Daniel Shays and other men argued to the government that they felt that the Articles of Confederation was not protecting their unalienable rights ,and they didn’t receive the government's promise. This was an important event in history because it lead to The Constitution

In document 4 it states, “As far as this decrease might be applicable to distilled spirits, it would encourage the substitution of cyder and malt liquors, benefit agriculture, and open a new and productive source of revenue” (Document 4). Hamilton acknowledged that drinking was very cheap. He believed that putting the tax on whiskey would improve not only the attitude of people, but other drink industries, and agriculture. Jefferson strongly disagreed with Hamilton. Putting a tax on whiskey would hurt many farmers that grew grain to make it. Jefferson, being from the South, therefore he saw what would happen if the tax was put into place. He believed that the unfair tax would break up the nation. This soon resulted in the Whiskey

When the tax on distilled liquors was passed in 1791, people were upset and they thought that they had no representation. They did not agree with the fact that the government had taxed them and did not even consider what they would feel about it. The people knew that there should be no taxation without representation and the majority of the farmers made their living off of whiskey and so they were not pleased to hear about the tax. The people were so angry that they refused to pay the tax. In April of 1794, a U.S. Marshall was sent to arrest the men who did not pay and 500 armed rebels attacked the house of US tax inspector, general John Neville to make their message loud and clear.

Hamilton himself anticipated the outcry beforehand noting the tax would “produce clamor, evasion, and war on our own citizens to collect it.” Washington’s Cabinet also felt the “clamor” as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson denounced the tax, stating, “It would arouse murmurings against taxes and tax-gatherers…could only be enforced by arbitrary and vexatious means.” This paper will examine the nature of the dissatisfaction with Hamilton’s tax, the increasingly vociferous and progressively violent protest against the tax that culminated in the Whiskey Rebellion, the discord between Hamilton and Jefferson that bedeviled Washington’s administration and Washington’s eventual decision to use a militia force—greater in number than any army he commanded during the Revolutionary War—against those spurred to rebellion by, in his estimation, treasonous democratic societies, in order to “reduce the refractory to a due subordination to the

In Pennsylvania people used whiskey a lot; whether to use up extra corn or as money. The federal government passed a law where all whiskey would be taxed in 1791. The farmer refused to pay it. They compared it to the Stamp Act and said that is was like that all over again. After a few years they started calling it the Whiskey Rebellion. By 1794 the Whiskey Rebellion started to threaten the strength of the United States government. George Washington had to lead the United States military to stop the rebels.

Another reason I believe in the actions is because the farmers were trying to fight for the right to not pay these taxes and not go to jail, leaving their families behind. On the website History.com, it states “they harassed the leading merchants, lawyers, and supporters of the state government.” This tells me that they were doing whatever it took to get the government's attention to handle the problem. Also on this website it describes how Shays’ Rebellion was crushed by the local militia. Fortunately, this problem did not threaten the stability and structure of the United States. In the article “How Shays’ Rebellion Changed America”, it claims that the rebellion pushed George Washington to become president, which was vital for the Constitution. The rebellion uprising also pushed plans for a stronger government because there were already so many problems. These plans for a stronger government led the framers to write the draft for the United States Constitution. These actions the rebellion brought actually help the Constitution come together to form a stronger national

The end of the Revolution and the economic crisis that followed changed the course of what would be the United States and its government. Post-war debt led to the creation of a new tax policy, a poll tax that was imposed on every citizen without

This protest begins as Hamilton persuades congress to pass a 25% tax on whiskey on farmers who could otherwise profit money back on increased prices for the individual consumers in 1791. However, people refused to pay the corn whiskey tax. This backfired in May of 1794 when John Neville, a tax collector, charged 75 Pennsylvanian farmers and distillers for tax evasion. By July 1794, 7,000 farmers intended to attack Pittsburg. Washington swooped in with 13,000 troops and in about a month or two, demonstrators were dispersed. By putting the protest down, the government exhibited its power and strength. Yet, this started controversy as many critiqued the government as being tyrannical. This only led to those pitying the frontiersmen to becoming

The Whiskey Rebellion was caused by on man and his believe on how to reduce the National debt. “In 1791 Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury, sought a way to reduce the national debt, and he convinced Congress to pass the first internal revenue tax in the form of an excise tax on distilled spirits.” This tax law that Alexander Hamilton created made a lot of people very angrey especially the farmers. The farmers would relay on their crops that they would grow to provide for them and their families. When the farmers had extra grain left over one of the main ingrediants in whiskey they would make whiskey out of the extra grain. It provided them extra money for them and their families and it was very easy to move whiskey. The

I’m writing to express support of george washington in the taxation of whiskey in pennsylvania. I am taking George washington’s side because the nation was in debt. So putting a tax on whiskey would pull us out of national debt. Although the tax on farmer's whiskey had little to no notice, they still need to support their country to be save.

Superficially, it may have been deemed an act of censorship to the Constitution’s critics; however, the tax on whiskey initially implemented helped create a better America by reducing the national debt to concentrate money into the securing of the nation’s individual liberties. A new, national militia helped secure the individual’s liberty, preventing other countries from controlling the United States, especially under the proclaimed tyrannical rule of Britain. The so-called censorship of the Whiskey Rebellion helped other individuals claim their liberty after the civil unrest caused by the uprising.