The Whiskey Rebellion
The\xa0Whiskey Rebellion\xa0(also known as the\xa0Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent\xa0tax protest\xa0in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the\xa0presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. Beer was difficult to transport and spoiled more easily than rum and whiskey. Rum distillation in the United States had been disrupted during the\xa0American Revolutionary War, and whiskey distribution and consumption increased afterwards (aggregate production had not surpassed rum by 1791). The "whiskey tax" became law in 1791, and was intended to generate revenue for the war debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. The tax applied to all distilled spirits, but consumption of\xa0American whiskey\xa0was rapidly expanding in the late 18th century, so the excise became widely known as a "whiskey tax".[3]\xa0Farmers of\xa0the western frontier\xa0were accustomed to distilling their surplus rye, barley, wheat, corn, or fermented\xa0grain mixtures\xa0to make whiskey. These farmers resisted the tax. In these regions, whiskey often served as a\xa0medium of exchange. Many of the resisters were war veterans who believed that they were fighting for the principles of the\xa0American Revolution, in particular against\xa0taxation without local representation, while the federal government maintained that the taxes were the legal expression of Congressional taxation powers.
Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you\u2019d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here.\xa0 Be sure to check our website for more details.