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George Washington: Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion - 14 min
In 1791, the U.S. government put a tax on whiskey. The goals of the tax were to pay down the debt incurred during the war as well as establishing the power of the Federal Government.
The tax proved unpopular and over time led to a rebellion which ended in 1790s. Washington created and used militia to suppress the rebellion and jail offenders - most of which were pardoned.
In 1803, the tax was repealed because it was too difficult to enforce.
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