Whiskey Rebellion
In 1791 the government of the United States was just recovering from the Revolutionary War, during which time a great amount of debt had been incurred. United States Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a bill to help prevent the national debt from growing any larger. This bill would put an excise tax of 25% on all distilled spirits and was approved by both houses during the 1791 winter session of Congress. “The Treasury Secretary considered liquor a “luxury” item, when in reality the tax burdened the poor farmers on the country’s western and southern frontiers the most. Rugged roads made shipping any goods costly, but whiskey could be moved more efficiently than grains themselves. The liquor became their …show more content…
“Some revenue collectors, who were afraid of the public outcry, stopped collecting. Those that persisted were met with similar tactics that many of the protestors—largely Scotch-Irish, English and German immigrants—had witnessed just years earlier during the fight against British “taxation without representation.” (Hagen, 2017)
Hamilton asked George Washington, the President of the United States, several times to act quickly before the rebellion grew bigger. “Such a “persevering and violent opposition to the Law,” needed “vigorous & decisive measures on the part of the Government.” Hamilton wrote in a letter on September 1, 1792.” “My present clear conviction,” he stated, “if competent evidence can be obtained, [is] to exert the full force of the Law against the Offenders.” (Hagen, 2017) Washington believed that he could settle this dispute peacefully and “On August 7, issued a proclamation commanding all “insurgents” to “disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes,” He cited his authority under the 1792 Militia Act. But the rebellion continued.” September 25, 1794, he issued another Proclamation which read in …show more content…
Although the militia did not have to fight, it had acted on a president’s defense of the Constitution, enforcing the needs of the federal government over localized protests and regional needs. In 1802, President Jefferson, and anti-Federalist, repealed all direct taxation, including the Excise Whiskey Tax. Unlike Hamilton, Jefferson saw tariffs as enemies to the constituents of a free democracy, limiting the worker’s ability to benefit fully from his labor.” (Hagen, 2017) “While pardons showed the power of the presidency, Jefferson’s repeal proved the power of American democracy. Even though the farmers lost the rebellion, they succeeded in checking the federal government’s early reach into civic liberties. That legacy of the grappling between government authority and individual freedom would become as much, if not more, a part of the American story as the pardon itself.” (Hagen, 2017) This was just the beginning of many struggles our new country faced. With each set back, it forced our nation grow stronger as a whole. Many more lives would be lost in the pursuit of liberty, and plenty of obstacles were yet to come, but I believe that the leaders were doing the best that they could at that
In 1791 the government of the United States was just recovering from the Revolutionary War, during which time a great amount of debt had been incurred. United States Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, proposed a bill to help prevent the national debt from growing any larger. This bill would put an excise tax of 25% on all distilled spirits and was approved by both houses during the 1791 winter session of Congress. “The Treasury Secretary considered liquor a “luxury” item, when in reality the tax burdened the poor farmers on the country’s western and southern frontiers the most. Rugged roads made shipping any goods costly, but whiskey could be moved more efficiently than grains themselves. The liquor became their …show more content…
“Some revenue collectors, who were afraid of the public outcry, stopped collecting. Those that persisted were met with similar tactics that many of the protestors—largely Scotch-Irish, English and German immigrants—had witnessed just years earlier during the fight against British “taxation without representation.” (Hagen, 2017)
Hamilton asked George Washington, the President of the United States, several times to act quickly before the rebellion grew bigger. “Such a “persevering and violent opposition to the Law,” needed “vigorous & decisive measures on the part of the Government.” Hamilton wrote in a letter on September 1, 1792.” “My present clear conviction,” he stated, “if competent evidence can be obtained, [is] to exert the full force of the Law against the Offenders.” (Hagen, 2017) Washington believed that he could settle this dispute peacefully and “On August 7, issued a proclamation commanding all “insurgents” to “disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes,” He cited his authority under the 1792 Militia Act. But the rebellion continued.” September 25, 1794, he issued another Proclamation which read in …show more content…
Although the militia did not have to fight, it had acted on a president’s defense of the Constitution, enforcing the needs of the federal government over localized protests and regional needs. In 1802, President Jefferson, and anti-Federalist, repealed all direct taxation, including the Excise Whiskey Tax. Unlike Hamilton, Jefferson saw tariffs as enemies to the constituents of a free democracy, limiting the worker’s ability to benefit fully from his labor.” (Hagen, 2017) “While pardons showed the power of the presidency, Jefferson’s repeal proved the power of American democracy. Even though the farmers lost the rebellion, they succeeded in checking the federal government’s early reach into civic liberties. That legacy of the grappling between government authority and individual freedom would become as much, if not more, a part of the American story as the pardon itself.” (Hagen, 2017) This was just the beginning of many struggles our new country faced. With each set back, it forced our nation grow stronger as a whole. Many more lives would be lost in the pursuit of liberty, and plenty of obstacles were yet to come, but I believe that the leaders were doing the best that they could at that