George Washington is often considered to be one of the best presidents in US History, if not the single best. In addition to setting the standard for future presidents with no role model of his own to follow, Washington’s Presidency is usually associated with unity, stability, and trust in the newfound American government. There are very few mistakes that come to mind, and while I could have taken this opportunity to discuss Washington’s many achievements, I’ll instead take this time to address one of his shortcomings: The Whiskey Rebellion.
To summarize the cause of the rebellion, the American government was suffering financially following the Revolutionary War. In need of money, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed enacting a tax on liquor produced within the US, which the government soon enacted. This led to protests across Western Pennsylvania, which the government hadn’t expected.
This wasn’t as simple as alcohol-lovers being too attached to their drinks. The western half of Pennsylvania was, in part, separated from the east by the Allegheny Mountains. Farmers couldn’t feasibly export their grain harvests eastward without rot becoming a factor, so to earn an income, they distilled their grain into liquor which could be easily transported.
It was a difficult situation for farmers, and the taxes raised on their primary export did not help whatsoever.
Washington initially tried condemning the protestors without resorting to force, though the unrest grew into riots, causing a total of 400 rioters to march towards Pittsburgh, leading to the death of a regional tax collection supervisor.
When this failed, Washington instead mobilized a militia of 12,950 men, and had them march to Pittsburgh to disperse the rioters. This succeeded, as the violence abated, and 150 rioters were arrested and tried for treason. Due to a lack of eyewitness testimony, most weren’t charged, though two that were, John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, were pardoned by Washington.
In 1802, President Jefferson repealed the whiskey tax, putting a cork (pun very much intended) in this whole affair.
Given the handling of the rebellion after violence broke out, this was handled pretty well by Washington, even if enacting the tax itself could be considered a lack of foresight. If you have any thoughts on the rebellion, or Washington’s presidency in general, feel free to discuss!