Whiskey Tax Resistance

About Whiskey Tax Resistance

Resistance to the whiskey tax was particularly strong in western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Western farmers distilled surplus grain into whiskey because it was easier to transport over the mountains than grain. Whiskey was also used as currency on the frontier. The whiskey tax therefore affected the western economy disproportionately. Tax collectors were tarred and feathered, their homes burned. Large distillers who could afford the tax were attacked by small producers. The rebellion was also influenced by class tensions, as wealthy easterners were seen as imposing taxes on poor westerners. After Washington suppressed the rebellion, many rebels moved further west. Thomas Jefferson repealed the whiskey tax in 1802. The whiskey tax returned during the Civil War and has been part of the federal tax system ever since.