Whiskey+Excise+Tax+P7

The Whisky Excise taxes of 1791 didn't happen overnight. It took many years of progressivly getting worse before congress implimented an excise tax on liquor products. Alexander Hamilton, the first secratary of the treasury, created these taxes to pay off the debt from the American Revolution. A 25% excise tax was placed on all liquor sold in the US. This tax benefited large liquor processors but people who made it less frequently were losing money. More people were against this tax than for it. When tax collectors came to town the farmers assulted them by feathering and tarring. Washington sent 13,000 militia men to stop these attacks against the tax. That was the first time a president suited up for a battle while holding office.
 * __Thomas Jefferson's View Point-__** He didn't like the ideas of the wealthy bussinessmen's political party. He believed that the federal government should protect individual state's freedom, but that it should not be involved in making business decisions. The Whiskey Excise Tax went against exactly what Jefferson believed. Hamilton's Whiskey Excise Tax seemed unfair because it taxed the small farmers more so than the wealthy people because the small farmers were the ones making and selling the whiskey. Jefferson did not agree with the tax because the tax did not effect the wealthy class as it did the small farmers causing Hamilton to work in favor of the bussinessmen's party. Jefferson resigned from his administration post as secratary of treasury in part of the protest against whiskey tax
 * __Ordinary people's perspective-__** The ordinary people felt that the government had been too harsh on them. They believed that the opinion of the farmers should have been taken into consideration. The farmers opposed this tax people whiskey was one of their main source of income.
 * __Reaction/effect to the Whiskey Rebellion-__** In December 1791 ​wrote to Madison expressing his concerns about the government’s reaction to the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. Washington had publicly blamed the outbreak on “democratic societies” while Jefferson laid the blame on Hamilton’s excise tax, which he described as “an infernal one” that might be “the instrument of dismembering the Union.” After the liquor taxes, the citizens became wary of federal governments powers. The rebellion had turned people away from the Federalist party and toward the Democratic-Republican party. Later a Democratic-Republican was voted into congress rather than a Federalist. While Jefferson was president, the Whiskey tax was officially removed.

-was Hamilton justified in taxing the wealthier class less than the small working farmers? -was the whiskey tax effective since it caused a rebellion amougst the small farmers and eventually lead to Washington using a military force against the rebels? -was the whiskey tax justified/serving it's purpose even after the whiskey rebellion?