Alexander Hamilton's Protectionist Economic Policy In The United States

In the month of January of 1791, the Secretary of Treasury to the then President George Washington’s administration, Mr. Alexander Hamilton proposed a seemingly innocuous excise tax on spirits distilled within the United States of America. The move was part of Hamilton’s initiative to encourage industrialization and higher degree of national sufficiency (Robert, 1994). In his December 1791 report to manufacturers, Hamilton called for protective tariffs to spur domestic production. Also, Hamilton called for the reduction of duties on goods that were carried by American ships. However, Hamilton’s effort to promote a protectionist economic policy was opposed by Thomas Jefferson and his newest political ally, James Madison (Robert, 1994). In their argument, Jefferson and Madison were of the opinion that the policies being proposed by the government would weaken …show more content…
However, by the time the militia arrived at Pittsburg, the insurgents had already dispersed and most could not be found. Nonetheless, a few who were captured by the militia were charged with treason. However, a scarcity of evidence and the inability of the prosecution team to find witnesses hampered the trials. However, two men, Philip Weigel and John Mitchell were found guilty of treason, but were later pardoned by President Washington. In 1802, President Jefferson repealed the excise tax on whiskey. The real hero in the Whiskey Rebellion was George Washington. He deserves all the credit and recognition for the actions concerning the rebellion. After local and federal officials were attacked, President George Washington and his advisors decided to send troops to salvage the situation. Another significant individual was Henry Knox, who was the then secretary of war, who assisted in getting the almost 13000 troops and this event presented the first use of the Militia Law of