The Whiskey Rebellion

The motives and effectiveness of those opposed to a national government in the early years of the early republic had many substantial similarities. The Whiskey Rebellion, Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and the Nullification Crisis were all examples of early national legal disputes. Each party’s account would first be explained then the similarities will be mentioned.

To begin, beginning in the year of 1791, farmers rebelled against the government protesting the officials authority to tax their domestic whiskey product. This rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion, led to numerous riots and harassment of government tax collectors. Unlike the Sons of Liberty, the farmers rebelled against taxes formed and executed legally. Due to this process …show more content…
These American’s did not forget what it was to live in the tyranny and bondage of Mother England. After being liberated by the Spirit of Liberty, these men were not going to permit a new government to violate their God- given right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness again. One may connect each of the above named events to an event occurring during the Revolutionary War era. Although the US government had the legal means of taxing where the British did not, one can see that the farmers acts of the Whiskey Rebellion were similar to those of the Sons of Liberty acts, such as tar and feathering tax collectors. As the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were being established, it was as the founding fathers when signing the Declaration of Independence understand that it was not only their right but it was also their duty to protect their fellow countrymen from the wiles of the government. Just as Thomas Jefferson could have been imprisoned as writing the Declaration of Independence, so could he have been imprisoned for writing the Kentucky Resolution. South Carolina in the Nullification Crisis was as the Bostonians during the night of the Boston Tea party who disposed of the tea to rest under the ocean’s waves. The partakers in the Boston Tea …show more content…
Whether one agrees whether or not their motives, effectiveness, and purpose was acceptable, these men fought against laws they did not agree with. Although each group had some bias for their cause, each group fought to defend their ideologies. With the Whiskey Rebellion presenting a group of farmers who tried to prevent taxation they thought was wrong, to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions defending Americans First Amendment Rights, to the South Carolinas nullifying laws their state did not support, each group presented themselves with strength and determination to resolve the problem the nation faced. Whether their motives or effectiveness was acceptable, these men strived to defend their

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