Hello and welcome to a history of the United States.

Episode 169, the cause of and solution to all of the United States. Episode 160 million, the cause of, and solution to all of

life's problems. First time out, we looked at Hamilton's financial plan, how we plan to use credit,

the national bank, a national mint, and manufacturing to increase the wealth of the United States.

The economic aspects of Hamilton's financial plan

were obviously very significant, but the politics of it were also important too. We finished by

looking at the threats the Young Republic was facing, both external, with the precision Spanish

lurking on the northern and southern frontiers, respectively. We also talked on the potential for internal problems, such as the threat of a repeat of Shays

Rebellion, and this is where we turn our attention to today, the Whiskey Rebellion.

To see its origins, I'd like to focus on three threads, which would tie themselves together,

excise taxes, the westward migration,

and the frontier economy. Like much of early American history, the Whiskey Rebellion has its origins in Britain and British political culture. Traditionally, most taxation occurred either in the form

of juices and tariffs at the port of entry

for goods from abroad or on land. There was a lot of opposition to internal taxes, specifically

excise taxes. An excise tax is something different. It's a tax on specific goods or services at purchase.

Usually the tax is paid by the producer and then passed on indirectly to the customer. The Crown attempted

to impose exise taxes in 1626, but Parliament resisted,

eventually raising its own excise taxes in 1643 during the Civil War on beer, ale, cider and

Perry, followed by salt, beef, rabbits and pigeons the next year. There was a great deal of opposition,

particularly in areas outside of London, but Parliament persisted. It was one of the great

political fights throughout the 17th and 18th centuries in Britain. I won't go into all the details,

but suffice it to say this carried

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