What is the Whiskey Rebellion and why is it historically important?
It was the first tax the government put on Americans after becoming an independent nation. The new government decided to put a tax on whiskey and spirits to help pay for the national debt incurred during the Revolutionary War, which ironically was fought because the British government wanted to tax the colonist’s. The people of Western Pennsylvania revolted over the tax and the government sent in troops to put down the revolt, it became known as the Whiskey Rebellion.
