Whiskey Rebellion (dec 19, 1791 – oct 29, 1794)
Description:
Hamilton gets Congress to pass an excise tax (a tax on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of certain products) on some domestic items (including whiskey), so that the national government had the money to pay off state debts
The whiskey people in southwestern pennsylvania were pissed because there, whiskey wasn’t a luxury (which the excise tax intended to tax), it was a medium of exchange (aka a form of currency)
Rebels started to tar and feather revenue officers
So tax collections stopped all together
Washington, with Hamilton’s support, calls up the militia and they go to take down the whiskey rebels
Effects:
Washington’s presidency and government is respected
But Washington’s opposition doesn’t like that he used so much force to crush such a tiny rebellion
Added to timeline:
US History
Date:
