What Is The Cause Of Washington's Whiskey Rebellion?

1. During Washington’s presidency the population was overwhelmingly more rural than later years, nearly 90% of citizens located in small settlements rather than some of the few established cities. Additionally, only 5% of them lived to the west of the Appalachians, which was largely Indian territory; most still lived within the original colonial borders on the eastern seaboard. Washington was drafted for presidency unanimously despite not directly pursuing the office, a feat that has never been accomplished in a presidential election since. Another difference between his and modern presidencies is the number of departments under his authority: today, fifteen department heads serve under President Obama compared to Washington’s meager three. …show more content…
The 1793 Whiskey Rebellion was an uprising of southwestern Pennsylvania distillers who were incensed by Hamilton’s excise of the exportation of whiskey two years earlier. Duties levied on alcohol considerably strained the commerce of backwoods communities where it represented the region’s major trade good, causing an outbreak of tarring-and-feathering revenue officers who attempted to collect the tax. Much like Shays’ Rebellion, Washington reacted with excessive force in response to a tiny rebellion of upset civilians, crushing the Whiskey Rebellion with an army of 1,300 with little resistance. This served to strengthen the reputation of the young government’s might, but also sparked disapproval from certain …show more content…
President Washington believed that becoming involved in another country’s war so soon after their own revolution had ended would have devastating consequences for already-struggling America. Entering the French Revolution would benefit only France, and in fact severely cripple his own country. The economy was thrashed, the military was just as incompetent as it had been during the American Revolution, and the people continued to disagree on basic governmental structure. Repercussions from the Revolution were still being felt, and Washington felt it unfair to ask Americans to gear up for that kind of strife yet again. As a result, soon after Britain and France declared war on one another, he issued the 1793 Neutrality Proclamation, a parent to American isolationism, over the heads of Congress. It declared not just their neutrality in armed conflict, but also their determination to remain completely impartial toward both