The Whiskey Rebellion and the Whiskey Tax - 795 Words

The Whisky Rebellion In 1791, under President George Washington, there was a vigorous debate within the House of Representatives to approve legislation to enact an excise tax on whiskey. They choose to pass this law 35-211 because of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, who was the secretary of the treasury at the time, was faced with the task of paying off the U.S. debt after the revolution. Hamilton was an avid believer in a strong central government which requires a lot of funding. He realized there was an abundance of alcohol circling around the U.S. at the time that was being both imported and created here that could be taxed. Hamilton stated that there would be millions of gallons imported into New York that would potentially give the government two hundred thousand pounds1. Hamilton particularly pushed this tax to be passed â€Å"more as a measure of social discipline than as a source of revenue†. Today, people may regard Hamilton’s remark of limiting alcohol consumption to qualify him as semi prohibitionist. However, Hamilton had a point when he spoke about social discipline and drinking. When reviewing the health issues of excessively drinking that we currently understand in modern times, drinking was quite a serious problem in the 18th century. At one point in time, Hamiltons doctor limited him to consume no more than three glasses of wine per day. The fact that this doctor considered this to be a small amount tells us a lot about societal views on alcohol in the 1700’s. ItShow MoreRelatedOverview of the Whiskey Rebellion Essay1077 Words   |  5 Pagesdecision to pass a tax on the production and distribution of whiskey, one of your main crops. What? Woah, woah, woah, wait a minute, did you not just fight a whole war against the taxes being imposed on you? A war for your rights? This cant be right, it just cannot be. Ah, but it is all too true. In the 1790s, a tax was passed that raised the price on distributing whiskey. This served as a problem, due to the fact that the farmers could not come up with the currency needed to pay the tax. It led to revoltsRead MoreCauses And Reasons Of Shays Rebellion And The Whiskey Rebellion1244 Words   |  5 Pagesimposed taxes and most times resented them. Their resentment in relation to the taxes sparked protests and led to large scale rebellions to express their grievances to the government. Both Shays rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion were similar in their causes and purpose but they differed in consequences and their significance. Shays Rebellion and The Whiskey Rebellion were both fought for similar causes and purpose. Following the revolution, the United States was faced with economic hardshipsRead MoreWhiskey Rebellion Essay1201 Words   |  5 PagesDemocratic-Republicans, there were rebellions. It is in this context that changes can be found between the March of the Paxton Boys, Shays’ Rebellion, and the Whiskey Rebellion. Violent protest in America from 1763 to 1791 changed significantly in terms of reasons behind the desire for violent protest and the result that occurred because of the rebellion. Admittedly, one significant continuity was the continued rebellion of the common people against the elite. In all three rebellions, the people who were rebellingRead MoreThe Whiskey and Shay Rebellion Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pages There were many rebellions in the United States history, some peaceful and some violent. Shays Rebellion in 1786 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 are examples of two brutal rebellions that led to death of many innocent people. Rebellions can develop due to many conditions including unfair laws, unfair treatment, and a disagreement over a sensitive topic. The Shays Rebellion showed the Articles of Confederation was too weak, while the Whiskey Rebellion proved the Constitution to be a strong frameworkRead MoreThe Whiskey Rebellion Of 1794 Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pages BADERO 1 OLAMIDE BADERO PROF. PATKE HISTORY 1301 N0VEMBER, 10 2016 THE WHISKEY REBELLION OF 1794 The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 brings about the death of the elite Federalist Government in favor of the democratic Republican Government, concerned with the needs of all of its citizens. United States of America suffered many growing pains when trying to balanceRead MoreCauses Of The Whiskey Rebellion1521 Words   |  7 PagesConstitution allowed Congress to levy their first tax on domestic goods, which was on distilled beverages. This tax proved to be the ultimate test for the growing America, and would begin the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1791, the United States Congress had just passed a new tax on alcohol, with a vote of 35-21, in hopes of paying off all the debt the government obtained during after charter of the national bank. Although enacted with good intentions, this tax negatively effected many farmers, as they usedRead MoreWhiskey Rebellion Proclamation Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pagesabout the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 was a proclamation which is an official announcement dealing with a subject of great importance. The Whiskey Rebellion Proclamation was written by the President of the United States at the time which was George Washington. This proclamation was intended for the people of the United states to respond to the protest of the whiskey tax that had been put in place. The Whiskey Rebellion started off as the people of the united states getting mad that whiskey had beenRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Whiskey Rebellion with Shay’s Rebellion.838 Words   |  4 PagesShays Rebellion was an a rmed uprising in western Massachusetts that run from 1786 to 1787. The rebels, led by Daniel Shays were small farmers angered by debilitating debt and taxes and failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment in prisons. This was viewed by many as unjust, unfair and primarily favoring those with money. The levying of the taxes was orchestrated so as to put money back to the coffers after the American revolution. Those adversely affected were small scale subsistenceRead MoreThe Justification Of The Whiskey Rebellion1430 Words   |  6 PagesMs. Caldwell C Format October 22, 2015 The Justification of The Whiskey Rebellion Faced with a large national debt as a result of the war, the newly founded republic, led by George Washington, instituted tariffs on certain domestic goods. The Whiskey Tax proved to be the most controversial of them all, because it targeted those who used whiskey as a method of trade. Unequally taxing the citizens, the Whiskey Tax sparked a rebellion led by the farmers of Western Pennsylvania. By stripping its citizensRead MoreThe American Revolutionary War Of The United States1196 Words   |  5 Pagesmillion dollars between federal and state. So Hamilton believed that he could create a solution to generate the revenue needed to pay back the debt, but also give room for the US to prosper. Hamilton came up with the â€Å"Whiskey Tax† which would raise taxes for distillers of whiskey, which was very popular if not the most popular drink at the time. The official name of the law, passed in 1791 by congress was entitled â€Å" An Act Repealing, after the Last Day of June Nex t, the Duties Heretofore Laid upon