Which tax sparked the Whiskey Rebellion in the United States from 1791 to 1794?

The whiskey excise tax sparked the Whiskey Rebellion in the United States from 1791 to 1794.

Congress passed the Whiskey Excise Act in March 1791 at the urging of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The federal government needed revenue to help pay debts left by the Revolutionary War, and the tax applied to domestically distilled spirits.

Small farmers in western Pennsylvania and other frontier regions often converted surplus grain into whiskey because distilled alcohol was easier to transport than grain. Many saw the tax as unfair, especially because small distillers could face a heavier effective burden than large commercial producers.

Resistance escalated into violence, including attacks on tax collectors and federal officials. In 1794, President George Washington mobilized a large militia force, and the rebellion collapsed before a major battle occurred. The tax was later repealed in 1802. The uprising is sometimes confused with colonial protests against British taxes, but it challenged a tax imposed by the new federal government.