Dec 14, 2022
The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as
the Whiskey Insurrection) was a
violent tax protest in
the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during
the presidency
of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first
tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal
government. Beer was difficult to transport and spoiled more easily
than rum and whiskey. Rum distillation in the United States had
been disrupted during the American
Revolutionary War, and whiskey distribution and consumption
increased afterwards (aggregate production had not surpassed rum by
1791). The "whiskey tax" became law in 1791, and was intended to
generate revenue for the war debt incurred during the Revolutionary
War. The tax applied to all distilled spirits, but consumption
of American
whiskey was rapidly expanding in the late 18th century, so
the excise became widely known as a "whiskey tax".[3] Farmers
of the western
frontier were accustomed to distilling their surplus rye,
barley, wheat, corn, or fermented grain
mixtures to make whiskey. These farmers resisted the tax.
In these regions, whiskey often served as a medium of
exchange. Many of the resisters were war veterans who believed
that they were fighting for the principles of the American
Revolution, in particular against taxation
without local representation, while the federal government
maintained that the taxes were the legal expression of
Congressional taxation powers.
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