Whiskey Rebellion Research Paper

Meaning when a tax is placed on a certain item, whiskey, in this demand model the producer, the farmers, would pay most of the tax. At the time the federal government saw whiskey as a luxury and so placed the tax on the distillers, raising the price of production in return decreasing the amount produced. They saw they could pay off their debt, by taxing the whiskey, and the producers of whiskey would pay for the debt for them. Therefore, the National debt incurred during the Revolutionary war and, the supply and the demand of whiskey are related. It was shown that only the distillers who produced less would pay more because of the tradeoff of equity end efficiency, meaning that because of the debt from the war, the government needed a way to pay for the debt and taxed whiskey. Concluding that the supply and demand elasticities of whiskey are completely due to the taxation put on the whiskey to pay for the

The Whiskey Rebellion was a turning point in America's history that demonstrated the central government's willingness and ability to enforce its laws in spite of the obstacle of distance from its center of power.

The issues that involved and caused the Whiskey Rebellion was due primarily to major economic and political concerns - westward expansion and a developing government. At the time, many of people were in search of land, and property they could settle on that the recently dismissed British and French could no longer occupy. Available land in the east was diminishing and so in turn, the population begin moving westward. Also, after the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and consequently the end of the American Revolution, created many changes. Lack of authority and resources to affirm authority (Ex. no more mass British army to fight off Indians), had its consequences. Nearly 80 percent of the federal budget was spent battling and removing Indians from the lands along the Ohio River, the most recently settled land by Americans (p.146). In order to compensate for this, Congress passed the tax on whiskey stills which affected mainly poor white farmers. Therefore, westward expansion and the riddance of the Indians, brought forth the infamous Whiskey Rebellion.

There were many rebellions in the United States history, some peaceful and some violent. Shays' Rebellion in 1786 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 are examples of two brutal rebellions that led to death of many innocent people. Rebellions can develop due to many conditions including unfair laws, unfair treatment, and a disagreement over a sensitive topic. The Shays' Rebellion showed the Articles of Confederation was too weak, while the Whiskey Rebellion proved the Constitution to be a strong framework of government.

What is the first thing someone would think about when whiskey is mentioned? A fun Saturday night out? Maybe, but it they probably did not think about the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. This Rebellion was resisted by farmers who were accustomed to distilling their excess corn to make alcohol in four small counties in both Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania. This Rebellion was met full force with troops set by George Washington. This event was a prime example of the battle between State’s Rights versus Federal Authority as illustrated in the book, Founding Brothers written by Joseph J. Ellis. Even today, the battle continues between the States and the Federal Government regarding the issue of legal marijuana. This issue started 2012 when the

In the preamble of the Constitution, one of the reason given as to why it was drafted is to “insure domestic Tranquility.” Washington’s response to the rebellion proved that the federal government was not going to let anyone threaten the peace in the union. Additionally, Washington’s response showed the power that was granted to the President with in the constitution. Article two section three of the constitution gives the president the responsibility to see that laws are being “faithfully executed”. As members of the United States, the farmers had an obligation to pay the tax whether they agreed or disagreed with it. That is why Washington felt that it was so important it send troops to Pennsylvania to quell the rebellion. In addition to stopping the gathering of rebels, Alexander Hamilton saw it necessary to exert the full force of the law in punishing those who could be proven involved. Even though the tax was repealed, it was a significant stand by the federal government proving they had the power to enforce the laws. In addition to proving the power of the federal government, the whiskey rebellion showed the citizens that they needed to have a more active role in government. If they had an issue with a law, their response could not be to go burn down a house. They needed to leverage the powers of a democracy and the liberties granted in the constitution to create the change they want to

In 1791, under the advisement of Alexander Hamilton, congress passed the whiskey tax. This tax, put a twenty-five percent tax on whiskey. Hamilton created this tax in hopes of the federal government gaining more money to help pay of the nation’s debt. However, in doing so, this angered many people, especially farmers in western Pennsylvania, because they distilled the extra grain they had to make whiskey and sell it to make extra income. These small operations in western Pennsylvania rebelled by erecting liberty poles and taring and feathering tax collectors. George Washington, who was president during this time, saw the outburst and decided to take action against the angered farmers. Washington gathered about 13,000 men from the militia to put an end to this rebellion. In doing so, Washington showed that the government help the power over the citizens. In The Whiskey Rebellion, by Thomas Slaughter, he describes different consequences that arise from the whiskey tax. Slaughter presents three main points, which include conflicts between the east and west, two political systems that begin to develop, and the actual rebellion.

Shortly after Alexander Hamilton created the tax on whiskey which was used to pay off the Revolutionary war debt, some farmers started to cause issue in the wilderness. After the tax was passed a group of farmers went out in the woods they captured a tax collector they , stripped him naked, shaved off his hair, poured hot tar all over his body, covered the tax collector in feathers, and finally strapped him to a tree in the middle of the night which caused the rebellion to start. According to “American History: The Whiskey Rebellion: From the August 2014 Issue”,”A group of armed men accosted whiskey tax collector Robert Johnson in a lonely stretch of forest in western Pennsylvania in 1793. They pulled Johnson off his horse and ordered him to strip, cut off his hair, poured hot tar on his body and dumped chicken feathers over the tar.” Then shortly after the tarring, more farmers were joining the Whiskey Rebellion against the whiskey tax.

     The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 helped bring about the demise of the aristocratic Federalist Government in favor of the democratic Republican Government, concerned with the needs of all of its citizens.

Hamilton was able to persuade Congress into passing a twenty-five percent tax increase on such products. This did not go over all too well in the west, especially concerning small farmers in Pennsylvania. At the time, farmers processed their corn and grain into whiskey, since it was less complicated to transport their crops in liquid form rather than in bulk. Whiskey was also used as barter at this time. In retaliation to this tariff, farmers took it upon themselves to harass the federal tax collectors, and showed their hostility and disdain by stopping judicial proceedings. In response to this, Congress attempted to lift the most severe proclamations of the levy, but this was to no avail in the farmers' eyes. Since a majority of the farmers' used the barter system, they simply could not come up with the money necessary to pay the tax. Their vexation mostly stemmed from their belief that the "unresponsive government" lacked to "understand the hardships they faced" since the government quite clearly did not grasp the concept of a deficiency of affluence (Encyclopedia of American History: Revolution and New Nation, 1761 to 1812). Throughout 1771 to 1773, the farmers' resistance was noticeable although not yet notable until 1774, where they then decided to handle the complication themselves.

The Whiskey Rebellion occurred soon after an excise tax was placed on Whiskey. Many people living in Western Pennsylvania and Maryland produced Whiskey from their homes, which they then sold or used as a form of currency. A fairly large group of men protested in an extremely violent way. The men attacked a tax collector, formed mobs, attacked arsenals, and “raised liberty poles” (Document A). Rumors about rebels negotiating with England and Spain frightened the federal government, as stated in Document A. As a response to this destructive behavior, President Washington led an army of 12,950 militiamen to suppress the rebellion. It is evident that George Washington’s response to the Whiskey Rebellion showed that the Constitution had fixed the

By late 1791, President Washington and his administration had created districts, and assigned revenue collectors, and inspectors. All that needed to happen now was to start collecting the whiskey revenue. This, however, is when the problems started.

Whiskey Rebellion has happened when George Washington was working as president. and the legal case is when the term of office is changed John Adams to Thomas Jefferson and War Hawks is related with Madison because War Hawks was one of the main reason for Mr. Madison's War. Hartford Convention was convention who has dissatisfied with James Madison. and Missouri was related with James

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

Anti-Federalists, as proponents of states’ rights asserted on a dissent that no law should be passed for disarming the people, unless for crimes committed, or real danger of public injury from individuals. One Federalist in response to the opposition asserted that “no nation could survive without an effective military, and that there was little danger to be apprehended from such a force when it was controlled by the government in which the people enjoyed full representation” (Cornell 45). Hence, the vast exposure of arms and the easiness to obtain them was jeopardy to the liberty and the safety of the new country. Once people had the right to bear and keep arms for self-defense, they were willing to fight for what they believed and their rights using arms if necessary. For example, the Whiskey Rebellion, a riot caused by the taxes imposed on whiskey and affected farmers from Pennsylvania and Kentucky, was a radical response that the population adhered against the government because they felt that that was their right. A group of farmers decided to oppose the tax imposed on whiskey by force of arms. It stopped being a simple protest and became an armed riot. An armed population out of the control of the government is a Hazard. This idea came up because they were able to possess arms and use them if