USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -George Washington had been president of United States for two years when the tax passed. His Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton, wrote the whiskey tax legislation and advocated for it as the way to repay the states’ war debt.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton pushed for the federal government to take over that debt. He also suggested an excise tax on whiskey to prevent further financial difficulty. President George Washington was opposed to Hamilton’s suggestion of a whiskey tax.

Detailed explanation-3: -The tax on whiskey led to a rebellion. In response, Hamilton called for a show of strength. He convinced Washington to raise an army of 13, 500 soldiers to suppress the rebellion.

Detailed explanation-4: -A force of 13, 000 militia troops, led by Hamilton and Virginia governor Henry Lee, marched into western Pennsylvania. By the time the federal force arrived, the rebellion had collapsed and most of the rebels had fled.

Detailed explanation-5: -Farmers of the western frontier were accustomed to distilling their surplus rye, barley, wheat, corn, or fermented grain mixtures to make whiskey. These farmers resisted the tax.