Hamilton, Alexander (1755-1804) Report on public credit. Appendix Treasury Department, March 4, 1790
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01044 Author/Creator: Hamilton, Alexander (1755-1804) Place Written: New York Type: Pamphlet Date: 13 December 1790 Pagination: 7 p. : folio 34 x 22 cm Order a Copy PDF Download(s): Download PDF
Written by Hamilton as an appendix to his Public Credit report and issued six weeks later. He recommended raising duties on imported liquor and enacting an excise tax on domestic Whiskey. (This tax eventually led to the Whiskey Rebellion).
Signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Led by the Secretary of Treasure, Alexander Hamilton, in an effort to reduce the national debt, Congress established an excise tax on distilled spirits and carriages in 1791. The tax was despised by many farmers throughout the country but especially by the western farmers who felt the tax was both unfair and discriminatory. Civil protest and various acts of resistance occurred until October 1794 when thousands of farmers in western Pennsylvania picked up arms in opposition to the tax. Commonly known as the Whiskey Rebellion, the insurrection marked the first time that military force was used under the new United States Constitution.
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