Spirits of Sovereignty: The Whiskey Rebellion and the Shaping of a Nation

Less than a decade after the American Revolution, the United States' new Constitution was put to the test. To help pay war debt incurred during the Revolutionary War, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed the Excise Whiskey Tax. Congress passed the tax in 1791, making it the first domestic product taxed by the federal government. Farmers and distillers in Western Pennsylvania were outraged and resisted taxation through various means, including harassing and tarring-and-feathering tax collectors.

The Whiskey Rebellion escalated in 1794 with a violent insurrection, prompting President George Washington to send 13,000 troops from four states to quell the resistance. The show of federal force overwhelmed the protestors, and the rebellion was dismantled.

Produced by WPSU with support from an NEH grant, Spirits of Sovereignty: The Whiskey Rebellion and the Shaping of a Nation is a 30-minute documentary that explores the relationship between citizen protest and federal authority during the Whiskey Rebellion. The film also highlights how this event helped shape the American national identity and the meaning of constitutional governance.