2) what was the whiskey rebellion? what were its causes, course, and repercussions?

by Angela Schmitt III 4 min read

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.

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What were the causes and effects for the Whiskey Rebellion?

Causes of the Whiskey Rebellion. ... They were protesting the Whiskey Tax. ... Effects of the Whiskey Rebellion. Showed that the Federal government had the right to tax Americans ins all states and had to power to make sure people paid the tax. Sets found in the same folder.

What was the main significance of the Whiskey Rebellion?

  • The Whiskey Tax was ended.
  • To repeal a law means to cancel it.
  • The Alien and Sedition Acts were ended.
  • Three effects of the ordinary people coming into power: 1. The end of the Whiskey Tax 2. The end of the Alien and Sedition Acts 3. The Louisiana Purchase

What was the direct cause of the Whiskey rebellllion?

Causes Of The Whiskey Rebellion

  • Albert Gallatin And The Whiskey Rebellion. At a meeting in 1794, Gallatin pushed for a more peaceful approach to opposing the Whiskey tax. ...
  • The Failure Of Prohibition In The 1920's. Originally, the public supported prohibition during the Great War because Americans wanted to support our troops abroad.
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What describes a major result of the Whiskey Rebellion?

Which statement BEST describes a major result of the Whiskey Rebellion? answer choices The new government halted the production of whiskey. People realized that the new government would execute all violent protesters. The new government proved too weak to respond in times of crisis.

What was the Whiskey Rebellion cause?

The Whiskey Rebellion. In 1794, farmers from Western Pennsylvania rose up in protest of what they saw as unfair taxation and provided the new nation, and George Washington, with a looming crisis. In 1791, Congress approved a new, federal tax on spirits and the stills that produced them.

What was the Whiskey Rebellion and what was the effect of it?

The Whiskey Rebellion was the first test of federal authority in the United States. This rebellion enforced the idea that the new government had the right to levy a particular tax that would impact citizens in all states.

What was the outcome of the Whiskey Rebellion quizlet?

What was the outcome of the whiskey rebellion? When Washington sent an army to defeat them, they became frightened and ran way.

What was the end result of the Whiskey Rebellion?

Two men, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were found guilty of treason, though both were pardoned by President Washington. By 1802, then President Thomas Jefferson repealed the excise tax on whiskey. Under the eye of President Washington, the nascent United States survived the first true challenge to federal authority.

What was the Whiskey Rebellion?

Sources. The Whiskey Rebellion was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. Following years of aggression with tax collectors, the region finally exploded in a confrontation that resulted in President Washington sending in troops to quell what some feared could ...

Why was the Whiskey Tax Law a failure?

Whiskey Tax Violence. The law was immediately a failure, since refusals to pay the taxes were as common as intimidation against officials hired to collect them. Excise officers sent to collect the tax were met with defiance and threats of violence. Some producers refused to pay the tax. Perhaps inevitably, violence broke out.

Why did Lenox and Neville come to Bower Hill?

The men claimed that Lenox needed to come with them because there was a threat to his life.

What was the opposition to the whiskey tax?

Opposition to the whiskey tax and the rebellion itself built support for the Republicans, who overtook Washington’s Federalist Party for power in 1802. The Whiskey Rebellion is considered one of the first major tests of the authority of the newly formed U.S. government.

Why did the US government put a tax on whiskey?

In 1790 Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt. He also suggested an excise tax on whiskey to prevent further financial difficulty.

What happened to Benjamin Wells?

Incidents escalated over the next few years. In 1793, the home of Pennsylvania excise officer Benjamin Wells was broken into twice. The first time, a mob of people forced their way in and assaulted Wells’ wife and children. The second incident involved six men in disguises who attacked Wells while he was at home.

When did the whiskey tax end?

The whiskey tax that inspired the rebellion remained in effect until 1802. Under the leadership of President Thomas Jefferson and the Republican Party (which, like many citizens, opposed Hamilton’s Federalist tax policies), the tax was repealed after continuing to be almost impossible to collect.

What happened in the 1860s?

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. …uprising in 1794 called the Whiskey Rebellion. As a result, tax laws changed repeatedly between the Whis key Rebellion and the Civil War in the 1860s, when new laws authorized the government to pay detectives to help identify, capture, and punish tax evaders.

Who ordered the rebels to return home?

The following month Pres. George Washington issued a congressionally authorized proclamation ordering the rebels to return home and calling for militia from Pennsylvania and three neighbouring states ( New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia ).

Why did Alexander Hamilton propose the excise?

Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, had proposed the excise (enacted by Congress in 1791, the first national internal revenue tax) to raise money for the national debt and to assert the power of the national government.

When did the tax inspector's home burn?

Enforcement legislation touched off what appeared to be an organized rebellion, and in July of 1794 about 500 armed men attacked and burned the home of the regional tax inspector after a smaller group had been fended off the previous day.

How did the Whiskey Rebellion affect the political system?

The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the new national government had the will and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws, though the whiskey excise remained difficult to collect . The events contributed to the formation of political parties in the United States, a process already under way.

Where was the Whiskey Rebellion?

Whiskey Rebellion. George Washington reviews the troops near Fort Cumberland, Maryland, before their march to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington, ...

What did Hamilton think of the whiskey excise?

Taxes were politically unpopular, and Hamilton believed that the whiskey excise was a luxury tax and would be the least objectionable tax that the government could levy. In this, he had the support of some social reformers, who hoped that a " sin tax " would raise public awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol.

Why was the Whiskey Tax passed?

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 US whiskey was rapidly expanding in the late 18th century, so the excise became widely known as a "whiskey tax".

What was the impact of the Revolutionary War on the distillation of rum?

Rum distillation in the United States had been disrupted during the Revolutionary War, and, for factors described below, whiskey distribution and consumption increased after the Revolutionary War (aggregate production had not surpassed rum by 1791).

Why did Neville change his mind?

He had initially opposed the whiskey tax, but subsequently changed his mind, a reversal that angered some western Pennsylvanians. In August 1792, Neville rented a room in Pittsburgh for his tax office, but the landlord turned him out after being threatened with violence by the Mingo Creek Association.

What was the name of the tax protest that ended in 1794?

Pittsburgh Expedition. Western Pennsylvania Expedition. Hagerstown Riot. The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington, ultimately under the command of American Revolutionary War veteran Major James McFarlane.

What was the whiskey rebellion?

The Whiskey Rebellion was a political crisis in the early years of the United States , which was triggered when a tax on alcoholic spirits sparked a backlash among settlers on the western frontier of Pennsylvania.

Why was whiskey taxed in the 1790s?

In the early 1790s, the new tax on whiskey was viewed by the western settlers as an unfair tax designed to aid the financial class living in the cities of the East.

Why was whiskey used as currency in the 1790s?

Fast Facts: The Whiskey Rebellion. Tax on distilled spirits caused enormous controversy in the early 1790s, especially along the western frontier of Pennsylvania. Farmers often used whiskey as currency in a barter economy, partly because it was easier to transport than raw grain.

What happened to the tax collector in 1791?

In late 1791, a tax collector in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was seized by a mob of masked men who marched him to a blacksmith shop and burned him with hot irons. Other attacks on tax collectors occurred. The attacks were intended to send a message, and were not fatal.

When was the tax on whiskey repealed?

The hated tax on whiskey was repealed in the early 1800s. Though the Whiskey Rebellion had represented a very serious challenge to federal power, and it was remarkable as it marked the last time George Washington would lead troops, it had no real lasting effect.

Why was it easier to turn grain into whiskey?

Because roads at the time were so poor, transporting grain could be difficult, so it was easier to turn the grain into whiskey and then transport it.

When did the whiskey tax become law?

Following the whiskey tax becoming law in March 1791, officials were appointed to enforce the law and collect the tax. The new tax collectors were provided with a manual, written by Hamilton, giving precise instructions on calculating the tax and keeping records.

The Whiskey Rebellion

The Whiskey Rebellion was a political insurrection that occurred in the late eighteenth century during the second presidential term of George Washington. The main cause of the Whiskey Rebellion was the public sentiment, especially in Pennsylvania, about the new whiskey tax created by Alexander Hamilton.

Whiskey Tax

Why did the Whiskey Rebellion happen? What caused the Whiskey Rebellion? Developers of whiskey resented the taxes that the United States government had placed on the drink. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton had instituted a twenty-five percent excise tax on all liquors sold in the United States.

The Whiskey Rebellion History

Significant moments that led up to and are part of the Whiskey Rebellion include:

Whiskey Tax

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A new U.S. federal government began operating in 1789, following the ratification of the United States Constitution. The previous central government under the Articles of Confederation had been unable to levy taxes; it had borrowed money to meet expenses and fund the Revolutionary War, accumulating $54 million in debt…
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Western Grievances

  • The population of Western Pennsylvania was 17,000 in 1790. Among the farmers in the region, the whiskey excise was immediately controversial, with many people on the frontier arguing that it unfairly targeted westerners. Whiskey was a popular drink, and farmers often supplemented their incomes by operating small stills. Farmers living west of the Appalachian Mountains distilled th…
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Resistance

  • Many residents of the western frontier petitioned against passage of the whiskey excise. When that failed, some western Pennsylvanians organized extralegal conventions to advocate repeal of the law. Opposition to the tax was particularly prevalent in four southwestern counties: Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland. A preliminary meeting held on July 27, 1791, at Redsto…
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Insurrection

  • The resistance came to a climax in 1794. In May of that year, federal district attorney William Rawle issued subpoenas for more than 60 distillers in Pennsylvania who had not paid the excise tax. Under the law then in effect, distillers who received these writs would be obligated to travel to Philadelphia to appear in federal court. For farmers on the western frontier, such a journey was e…
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Legacy

  • The Washington administration's suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion met with widespread popular approval. The episode demonstrated that the new national government had the willingness and ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws. It was, therefore, viewed by the Washington administration as a success, a view that has generally been endorsed by historians. …
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Bibliography

  1. Baldwin, Leland D. Whiskey Rebels: The Story of a Frontier Uprising. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1968. ISBN 978-0822951513
  2. Boyd, Steven R., ed. The Whiskey Rebellion: Past and Present Perspectives. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1985. ISBN 0-313-24534-7.
  3. Boyd, Steven R. "The Whiskey Rebellion, Popular Rights, and the Meaning of the First Amend…
  1. Baldwin, Leland D. Whiskey Rebels: The Story of a Frontier Uprising. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1968. ISBN 978-0822951513
  2. Boyd, Steven R., ed. The Whiskey Rebellion: Past and Present Perspectives. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1985. ISBN 0-313-24534-7.
  3. Boyd, Steven R. "The Whiskey Rebellion, Popular Rights, and the Meaning of the First Amendment." In W. Thomas Mainwaring, ed. The Whiskey Rebellion and the Trans-Appalachian Frontier, 73–84. Washin...
  4. Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. New York: Penguin Press, 2004. ISBN 1-59420-009-2.

Further Reading

  1. Baldwin, Leland. Whiskey Rebels: The Story of a Frontier Uprising. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1939.
  2. Berkin, Carol. A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism (2017) pp. 7–80. excerpt
  3. Bouton, Terry. Taming Democracy: "The People," the Founders, and the Troubled Ending of th…
  1. Baldwin, Leland. Whiskey Rebels: The Story of a Frontier Uprising. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1939.
  2. Berkin, Carol. A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism (2017) pp. 7–80. excerpt
  3. Bouton, Terry. Taming Democracy: "The People," the Founders, and the Troubled Ending of the American Revolution. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-530665-1.
  4. Clouse, Jerry Allan. The Whiskey Rebellion: Southwestern Pennsylvania's Frontier People Test the American Constitution(Bureau of Historic Preservation, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission...

External Links

  1. selected primary sources
  2. Text of the 1791 excise act from the Library of Congress
  3. George Washington's Proclamation of September 15, 1792, warning against obstruction of the excise law, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School
  4. Washington's Proclamation of August 7, 1794, announcing the preliminary raising of militia a…
  1. selected primary sources
  2. Text of the 1791 excise act from the Library of Congress
  3. George Washington's Proclamation of September 15, 1792, warning against obstruction of the excise law, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School
  4. Washington's Proclamation of August 7, 1794, announcing the preliminary raising of militia and commanding the insurgents in western Pennsylvania to disperse