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Hamilton Passes a Tax on Whiskey
In western parts of states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina whiskey was like money in their region, since actual cash was scarce. Farmers felt the tax was directed towards them. Farmers that didn’t make much whiskey said they couldn’t afford said tax and should get to keep the money they made from something they created. People also didn’t appreciate that cases on the tax were in a district court, which were typically far from those affected and were vexingly far. -
Protests and Rebellions Begin
The beliefs that the tax on whiskey was aimed directly at farmers, caused people in west areas of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina to begin to revolt. These riots and protests caused violence against tax collectors, such as some being tarred and feathered. These protesters would not pay the tax on whiskey and some called themselves the New Sons of Liberty. -
Hamilton Threatens to Send Militia to Stop the Rebellion
Hamilton understood that stopping the rebellion needed to be done as quickly as possible, and he viewed that the fastest and most effective way would be to send militia to Pennsylvania. In the letter he wrote to Thomas Mifflin, the governor of Pennsylvania, he said that it was important to prevent the rioters from gaining better weapons and more help from other places. -
Protests Lead Washington to Take Action
President George Washington worried that the rioters were a threat to the authority of the federal government, and decided to agree with Hamilton, that military force was needed. He gathered an army of 13,000 men and he led them to Pennsylvania to put down the rebellion. When they arrived almost all of the rioters had fled, and two those taken into custody under suspicion of being rebels were convicted of treason and pardoned by Washington. -
Jefferson Repeals the Tax on Whiskey
When President Washington decided not to run for president for a third term, Thomas Jefferson ran and won the presidency. One of the things he did as president was to repeal the tax on whiskey that largely prompted the Whiskey Rebellion.