Whiskey Act of 1791

The Whiskey Act of 1791 was an attempt by the federal government of the United States to pay off the funds incurred during the era of Confederacy. This right to levy taxes toward citizens was one explicitly written in the Constitution. Despite this, however, farmers in the Western Pennsylvania region took exception to this act. It harmed their ability to profit from crops that were used to create whiskey, therefore threatening their livelihood. Rebellion took places in this area, with farmers threatening physical harm to tax collectors and refusing to pay the tax. This was the first real challenge to the new Constitution and certainly not the last.

Alexander Hamilton and George Washington felt the insurrection was a real threat to a nation that was newly born and still seeking tradition and identity. Hamilton stated in his letter to Mrs. Church that he felt the rebellion would show the strength of the union, yet also stated that he was worried about suppressing further insurgence. I believe his apprehension was more genuine than his hopes of a stronger uncontested government. Washington didn’t feel that the rebellion was a positive step toward furthering the nation’s development. 

He felt that the insurgence was unnecessary and a huge threat to the strength of constitutional power. If the people of the states didn’t agree with the powers vested in their national government, there would be no trust by the public and therefore a chaotic free for all. Washington saw the beginning of national insurrection of a larger kind, even with the suppression of these rebels. He felt upset that these rebels were unable to comprehend the importance of consensus within the constitution and the good of the country.