AF101

American Facts 101

History and civics

Glossary term

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 protest against a federal tax on whiskey that tested the new government's authority.

Historical context

The Whiskey Rebellion was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government.