After the Revolutionary War, the Whiskey Rebellion

Recent discussion on legislation, taxes, whiskey, madeira and the War of Independence made me reflect on the important influence alcohol and taxes have had on American history. Few may be aware that shortly after independence, the sovereignty of the Constitution was challenged in what was later known as the Whiskey Rebellion (1791 – 1794).

Whiskey production in the American Colonies began with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1700s. Apart from commercial distilleries, farmers would distill their surplus grains into whiskey. By the 18^th century, whiskey was the most popular distilled beverage in the United States. After defeating the British, the newly formed federal government had to pay off a huge war debt. To help do so, then Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed and Congress imposed the 1791 “whiskey tax”, the first tax on a domestic product.

Farmers, particularly in western Pennsylvania and Virginia, responded in uproar. Protesters believed they were fighting for the principles of the American Revolution, especially against taxation without local representation. Looking beyond principles, frontier farmers rejected the tax because it was only payable in cash, something rare on the western frontier. They also faced great challenges transporting their produce over mountains to markets in the east. This drove them to distill most of the grain they grew as it was easier to transport spirits rather than the grain itself. Supporters of the tax argued that it was the legal expression of federal Congressional powers.

Over the next few years, federal tax collectors were met with violence and intimidation throughout the western frontier. Things climaxed in 1794 when about 500 armed men attacked and razed the fortified home of a tax inspector. When his attempts to negotiate with the rebels was rebuffed, then President George Washington led a 13,000-strong army of militiamen into the Pennsylvanian countryside to suppress the insurgency. The rebels melted away before the army arrived and there was no confrontation. About 20 were arrested for their participation in the rebellion, but all were later either acquitted or pardoned. 

Washington’s suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion met with widespread approval. The new national government had shown willingness and ability to defend the Constitution by suppressing violent resistance to its laws. However, the whiskey tax remained difficult to collect and was repealed by the Jefferson administration in the early 1800s.

So when you drink your next shot of whiskey, know that you are drinking a piece of American history. I am sure there’s a marketing opportunity somewhere in combination with madeira.