What was the significance of the Whiskey Rebellion and the way the government responded?
In the early days of the United States, farmers west of the Appalachian Mountains found it expensive to sell their crops. It was expensive to ship corn, a bulk commodity. They could turn corn into whiskey, a high priced item, and ship it for far less money than the corn it was made from. The government put a tax on whiskey. The tax mainly affected farmers west of the mountains. It also mainly affected a poorer element of society. The Farmers refused to pay the tax and rebelled against the Tax Collectors. President Washington led an army against the rebellion, and crushed the rebellion. The significance of the rebellion was that it showed that the Federal Government could and would enforce its laws. However, in the long term, it also showed that the rich Federalists could not get away with leveling a tax on the poorest segment of society.
