- Whiskey Act
The Whiskey Act was a
U.S. federal law passed by the 1st Congress onMarch 3 ,1791 , upon the recommendations ofAlexander Hamilton , then treasury secretary. It was enacted in accordance with the four economic initiatives embarked by Hamilton at the start of the Washington administration, namely, paying federal debts owed during theRevolutionary War to states and individuals, introducing theHamilton tariff , creating theFirst Bank of the United States , and finally levying anexcise tax (one that influenced this law). It was passed on the second last day of the 1st Congress. The popular reaction, though, was extremely negative. It was seen by many as a throwback to the era of theStamp Act , when taxation was made without any participation of the representatives. Still remembering theShay's Rebellion , severalPennsylvania liquor farmers living on the western frontier who were directly affected by the act started to plot a fresh rebellion. TheWhiskey Rebellion , which took place in1794 , shook the Washington administration. An order to suppress the insurrection, under the authority of theMilitia Act of 1792 , was given and the rebellion was soon put down. This event set a precedent in the new nation that any law passed by Congress can only be changed through constitutional means.ee also
*
Whiskey Rebellion
*Stamp Act
*Militia Act of 1792
*Alexander Hamilton External links
* A sample page of the act from the
Library of Congress [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=001/llsl001.db&recNum=322]* Analysis of the law [http://www.historicaldocuments.com/article.htm?id=184&Whiskey_Act_of_1791]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.