What was the American Whiskey Rebellion?

The newly formed United States, needed a way to pay off "its revolutionary war debts". Secretary of the Treasury, (Alexander Hamilton) proposed a tax on the production of alcohol. The Whiskey Act became law in March of 1791 and applied to all forms of alcohol. Many farmers distilled their excess grain into alcohol which they could sell or barter, and they refused to pay a tax on it. In western Pennsylvania the tax protesters organized and became violent. President Washington himself led an army of militia to subdue the insurrection. The rebels disbanded and went home rather than fight the army. This event helped establish our new government's ability to deal with domestic rebellion. The Whiskey tax was repealed in the early 1800s during the Jefferson administration.