The whiskey rebellion marked the first largescale resistance to a law of the u. On february, 1927, the new york times published an article entitled wet and dry talk heard in 1791. The socalled whiskey tax was the first tax imposed on a domestic. President washington sent,000 troops to collect taxes on whiskey.
Provided always, that, whenever it may be necessary in the judgment of the president to use the military force hereby directed to be called forth, the president shall forthwith, and previous thereto, by proclamation, command such insurgents to. The whiskey rebellion took place throughout the western frontier. However, several historians hypothesize that one of the goals behind washingtons rallying federal troops to quash the whiskey rebellion, was to see whether or not the troops would muster. You might be under the assumption that my life went to the dogs when my fiance left me at the altar for the home economics teacher, or when i go. Alexander hamilton, secretary of the treasury, wanted to use the tax money to pay revolutionary war debts.
This was, after all, the first time that washington had ever enforced federal law in the united states, and in order to persuade men to fight their fellow. Much like the events of the whiskey rebellion, the. The whiskey rebellion by william hogeland overdrive. Troops occupied the region and some of the rebels were tried, but the two. The whiskey rebellion was mostly a movement of the western frontiersmen over the perceived unfairness of a tax on whiskey.
My daddy he made whiskey, my granddaddy he did too we aint paid no whiskey tax since 1792 youll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright watch them jugs afilling in the pale moonlight. As washingtons expedition approached its destination from the mountains to the east, another group of western pennsylvania militia formed. The whiskey rebellion festival celebrates the heritage and unique character of the region by focusing on the historical significance of the whiskey rebellion, a history that is unique to western pennsylvania and primarily washington county. Harrisburg, pennsylvania october 3, 1794 in september 1791 the western counties of pennsylvania broke out in rebellion against a federal excise tax on the distillation of whiskey. You might be under the assumption that my life went to the dogs when my fiance left me at the altar for the home economics teacher, or when i got. Whiskey sustained the force sent to put down the whiskey rebellion. The government send a large number of troops to fight the protesters, but few arrests were made. Ive been doing a lot of reading and so the next few posts will be comments on the most interesting parts of books ive read. In the summer and fall of 1794, president george washington, secretary of the treasury alexander hamilton, and general henry lee began making mass arrests of american citizens. The whiskey rebellion friendship hill national historic. When president george washington ordered an army of about,000 men to march west in 1794 to crush a tax rebellion among frontier farmers, he established a range of precedents that continue to define federal authority over localities today.
Washington and the whiskey rebellion bill of rights institute. The infamous whiskey rebellion, told from the perspective of the soldiers who suppressed it. Washington and the whiskey rebellion summary many of the founders, including george washington, believed that one weakness of the articles of confederation was that the federal government could not deal firmly with domestic uprisings such as shays rebellion. Whiskey rebellion by liliana hart overdrive rakuten. The frontier farmers of western pennsylvania, cashpoor and reliant on whiskey as a commodity and even a form of currency, rose up in protest against the excise tax. Washington personally led the troops into bedfordthe first and only time a sitting us president has led troops into the field. These being the early days of the union, west meant the region. The intruders demanded wells account books at gunpoint and.
Probably the biggest concern about the excise tax was the revenues from it would support a national government the western people felt was not representing. Davies what really happened during the whiskey rebellion. Nov 02, 2008 the government send a large number of troops to fight the protesters, but few arrests were made. After the adoption of the constitution, the first act of rebellion against the government was the whiskey insurreciton, commencing in 1791 in southwestern pennsylvania in murmurs of discontent, and swelling into an open rebellion in 1794. Except during the war of 1812, the federal government never again dared to impose an internal excise tax, until the north transformed the american constitution by centralizing the nation during the war between. In 1791, on the frontier of western pennsylvania, local gangs of insurgents with blackened faces began to attack federal officials, beating and. The 17911794 whiskey rebellion broken down and explained for students, life long learners and the cray cray on the internet.
To the average american family, which drank six gallons of whiskey a year, such a. Tom the tinker assumed leadership of the whiskey rebellion, nobody knows who he was, although some assume he was john holcroft, a veteran of the shays rebellion. This classic confrontation between champions of liberty and defenders of order was long considered the most significant event in the first quartercentury of the new nation. The whiskey rebellion was a response to the excise tax proposed by alexander. Whiskey rebellion, 1794, uprising in the pennsylvania counties w of the alleghenies, caused by alexander hamiltons excise tax of 1791. It was provoked by a tax on whisky, and was the first serious challenge to federal authority. What was the whiskey rebellion and how did washington end. What did george washington do to stop the rebellion. In response, president washington nationalized 12,950 militiamen from new jersey, pennsylvania, maryland and virginiaan army approximating in size the continental force that followed him during the revolutionand.
The whiskey rebellion was a tax protest in the united states beginning in 1791 and ending in. The chain of events that led to the whiskey rebellion began when alexander hamilton put together an agreement between the states and the federal government that said the feds would assume all the debts incurred by the states after the revolutionary war. Washington to personally lead the united states militia westward to stop the rebels. 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. While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Washingtons strong response to the whiskey rebellion became.
Shays rebellion had struck fears of revolution and anarchy amongst. Soon after the first battle of the whiskey rebellion on july 16, 1794, some 7,000 western pennsylvanians rose up in revolt. Authorized neither by warrants nor by any resolution of congress, federal troops rousted from beds, rounded up, and detained on no charge hundreds of people against whom the executive branch knew it had no evidence. This ttb webpage provides an article on the whiskey rebellion of 1794.
Unearthing a pungent segment of early american history long ignored by historians, william hogeland brings to startling life the rebellion that decisively contributed to. It is a work of social, political, and intellectual history that makes a significant contribution to the the new narrative history. Documents from the whiskey rebellion yesterday i shared a link to an old silent docudrama short about the whiskey rebellion. A gripping and sensational tale of violence, alcohol, and taxes, the whiskey rebellion uncovers the radical eighteenthcentury peoples movement, long ignored by historians, that contributed decisively to the establishment of federal authority. The whiskey rebellion, then, considered properly, was a victory for liberty and property rather than for federal taxation. The whiskey rebellion explained in one minute youtube. The whiskey rebellion, which lasted from 1791 through 1794, was a cornerstone event in the early republic. Origin, history and suppression mobs at morgantown action of the state and national authorities. Whiskey was the most popular domestic spirit, and it was especially popular in the west.
The book not only offers the broadest and most comprehensive account of the whiskey rebellion ever written, but also challenges conventional understandings of the revolutionary era. As part of hamiltons scheme to reduce the national debt, the government levied a tax on spirits. Collection of the tax met violent resistance, but when president washington called out the militia, the rebellion collapsed. To alexander hamilton and the federalists in the east, it seemed to be a good idea. On august 1, 1794, president george washington was once again leading troops. About whiskey rebellion festival washington county, pa. Libertarians, socialists, and the whiskey rebellion.
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the kindle edition of this book. The whiskey rebellion and revolution of 1800 flashcards. The one positive result of the whiskey rebellion for the washington administration was the effectiveness of washingtons response. Ive been at my cottage in canada since last monday. Their political movement became known as the whiskey rebellion. George washington, alexander hamilton, and the frontier rebels who challenged americas newfound sovereignty william hogeland, author.
On a number of occasions, the troops received double rations of liquor to quell their dissent. The settlers, mainly scotchirish, for whom whiskey was an important economic commodity, resented the tax as discriminatory and detrimental to their liberty and economic welfare. Description whiskey rebellion important manuscript document listing the persons arrested in the whiskey rebellion. Geographic necessity has played a part in promoting the. In the end, a dozen or so men were arrested, sent to philadelphia to trial and released after pardons by george washington. Only this time washington was not striking out against the british but rather against fellow americans. Whiskey rebellion, uprising against the liquor tax in pennsylvania in 1794 that was. Start studying social studies chapter 9 guided reading. Whiskey rebellion ebook by toni aleo 1230002090924. Washington personally led the troops into bedfordthe first and only time a sitting us.
The whiskey rebellion was actually widespread and successful, for it eventually forced the federal government to repeal the excise tax. George washingtons proclamation calling the militia to occupy the western counties of pennsylvania. Alexander hamilton urgently transfers funds of the bank of united states to supply the forces sent to suppress the rebellion september 17 th, 1794 an important als of hamilton as secretary of the treasury relating to the federal response to the first challenge to the u. Unearthing a pungent segment of early american history long ignored by historians, william hogeland brings to startling.
Various efforts had been made to diminish the heated opposition towards the tax on distilled liquors. What does the whiskey and shays rebellion have in common. Perhaps this lesson will inspire a later generation of american taxpayers who are so harried and downtrodden as to make the whiskey or stamp taxes of old seem like paradise. In 1794, some farmers in pennsylvania rebelled against the government because of a tax on whiskey. Many settlers and farmers thought the taxes of seven to eighteen cents per gallon of alcohol were too high and increased the cost of liquor. Whiskey rebellion 1643 britain imposes its first excise tax a tax imposed on products produced and sold domestically, as opposed to a tax on imported products.
What would happen to tax collectors, government officials, and farmers who actually paid the whiskey tax. They were really helpful and easy to book with, wed definitely recommend them and may even plan another tasting soon. There was not one state south of new york whose western counties did not protest the new excise with some sort of violence. Washington and the whiskey rebellion us constitution. Hamilton believed that industries that could bear the burden should pay taxes. Devens 1882 what started as a tax in 1791 led to the western insurrection, or better known as the whiskey rebellion of 1794, when protesters used violence and intimidation to prevent federal officials from collecting.
The tax was regressive, and it burdened people with whom many troops probably identified. George washington, alexander hamilton, and the frontier. Federalists in congress succeed in passing an excise tax on domestically distilled spirits i. List of books and articles about whiskey rebellion online. The western farmers, or those on the west side of the appalachian mountains, were mainly small distilleries making a little extra money off of their extra corn and had to pay a larger price per gallon for all whiskey produced, and therefore were opposing to the law. The whiskey rebellion illustration of the whiskey rebellion from our first century, by r. Washington and the whiskey rebellion bill of rights. We had a great whiskey tasting experience with kayleigh from the whisky rebellion.
Centered in southwestern pennsylvania in the early 1790s, specifically 1794 and also with effects reverberating in other states of the new union. The socalled whiskey tax was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. George washington, always aware that as the new nations first president, his every action would be drawn. You might be under the assumption that my life went to the dogs when my fiance left me at the altar for the home economics teacher, or when i got notice that my apartment building was going to be condemned, or even when i was desperate enough to strip to my unmentionables to earn some extra. The precedent of the whiskey rebellion the constitution a constitutional convention had been called in 1786 to discuss ways of ameliorating the ineffective articles of confederation. Ironically, liquor was often the solution to dissent in the ranks. Led by an offbeat evangelist who experienced visions and believed in such strange ideas as profitsharing and a progressive income tax, the rebellion was quickly suppressed by federal troops at george washingtons orderthough, as hogeland notes, washington himself took to making whiskey soon afterward, even as his successor, thomas. The drink show traveled to pittsburg to old saint lukes church to find out from reverend richard w. I apologize for calling general john neville, george a. In total, there were almost,000 menabout as many as had served in the entire continental army that defeated the british. Selling whiskey was how people traded things in western pennsylvania, so they thought the new tax was very unfair. Whiskey mania in southwest pennsylvania histbuffer. The whiskey rebellion was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in. After local and federal officials were attacked, president washington and his advisors decided to send troops to pacify the region.
A gripping and provocative tale of violence, alcohol, and taxes, the whiskey rebellion pits president george washington and secretary of the treasury alexander hamilton against angry, armed settlers across the appalachians. Americans typically get no more than a paragraph or two about this early american tax revolt in history class, and these usually cite the rebellion from the point of view of the fledgling federal government. What is known as the whiskey rebellion of 1794 started with some farmers refusal to pay taxes and ended up in the march of. Arguments used in the whisky rebellion crisis are like todays, which sought to highlight similarities between the 1790s whiskey rebellion and the events of prohibition in the 1920s. The whiskey rebellion was a riot in the history of the united states. Despite the fact that the act sparks protest, the government expands it in 1647. The whiskey rebellion tea is inextricably linked with the american fight for independence, but whiskey was the first touchstone for the strength of the new federal authority. Christophe deloire, the organizations secretarygeneral, wrote in the report. List of books and articles about whiskey rebellion.
Whiskey rebellion 1794 revolt against the us government in w pennsylvania. With the end of the congressional session, he pushed the cabinet to close. The author desires to express his appreciation of the aid given by the staff members of a number of depositories, particularly the historical society of western pennsylvania, the darlington library of the university of pittsburgh, the carnegie library of pittsburgh, the library of congress, and the connecticut historical society. The fastest explanation of the whiskey rebellion this side of western pennsylvania. An interesting time in our regional history that almost became a real powder keg. The whisky rebellion a bespoke whisky tasting experience.
It was further decided that militia troops, rather than. Very informative and we got to try the lessor wellknown brands usually reserved for the connoisseur. Sep 18, 2012 the drink show traveled to pittsburg to old saint lukes church to find out from reverend richard w. When that failed he personally led,000 troops to end the rebellion.
The whiskey rebellion ended when president george washington called up a group of almost,000 troops and led them into western pennsylvania. The whiskey rebellion and the precedent of federal authority. If you are answering a question on a worksheet, i would write this as the answer. Soon after the whiskey rebellion, actressplaywright susanna rowson wrote a stage musical about the. Trying to calm the whiskey rebellion president washington sent negotiators to calm the insurrection. My name is addison holmes, and i teach history at james madison high school in whiskey bayou, georgia. See more ideas about whiskey, jefferson quotes and thomas jefferson quotes. A tax collector is tarred and feathered during the whiskey rebellion in 1794. The whiskey rebellion 1791 the whiskey rebellion was the reaction to a federal tax on liquor in 1791. Findley was a bitter political foe of hamilton, and he maintained in his book on the insurrection that the treasury. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Gw and his troops standed to end the whiskey rebellion. The settlers, mainly scotchirish, for whom whiskey was an important economic commodity, resented the tax as discriminatory and detrimental to.
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