What was the problem and solution of the whiskey rebelion?

Answer 1

The problems that arose from the Whiskey Rebellion were riots and demonstrations by the people against a tax on whiskey. This occurred in 1791 when Alexander Hamilton proposed this tax. It also was a problem for George Washington because he was an amateur brewer of whiskey and beer at the time.

Answer 2

Whiskey was a cash crop to the western settlers. They could not ship their grain down the Mississippi River until it was opened to American trade in 1795. The cost of transporting the grain east over the mountains was too expensive. Converted into liquor, a horse could carry enough of the liquid to make the trip profitable. When Hamilton convinced Washington and Congress to pass a tax on whiskey, the profit to the western farmers dried up. Like Shays's Rebellion before, the western farmers rebelled against the tax by rioting in some of the river towns and roughing up the tax collectors. Washington, who had not supported the ideas behind Shays' Rebellion, saw an opportunity to show the power of the new federal government over the weakness of the Articles. Along with Hamilton, he led 15,000 troops to suppress the rebellion. Washington left the area when the farmers dispersed, but Hamilton rounded up several who were tried for treason and sentenced to death. Washington pardoned them, calling them "mental defectives." The rebellion was not much as far as military "battles" go, but the importance of the Whiskey Rebellion was political. The government asserted the power over the states to enforce Federal Laws by using troops, if necessary, that came from other states. Of course, the western farmers never supported the Federalists when they formed the Federalist Party.

Answer 3

When the new Federal government of the United States of America decided to levy a tax on whiskey in 1791 it caused discontent among the citizens of the "Western Frontier" and later led to an armed insurrection in 1794. Washington led an army into the region and established Federal authority however there were no battles and only 20 of the "rebels" were ever rounded up.

Only a few were actually imprisoned and two were sentenced to hang but were later pardoned. One died in jail but the others were mostly just fined.

It was the only time the Commander in Chief actually led troops in the field in U.S. history. One consequence of the rebellion was that whiskey production in Tennessee and Kentucky grew since these areas at the time were outside the control of the Federal government so it can be said that the Whiskey rebellion contributed to the history of Bourbon indirectly.