Shays' s vs. Whiskey
Shays's Rebellion
|
Whiskey Rebellion
|
Shays's Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion started for very similar reasons. Shays's Rebellion was set off because the farmers of Western Massachusetts were angry about the heavy taxes that were placed upon them, causing many to lose their land. The Whiskey Rebellion was set off because the farmers of backcountry Pennsylvania were angry about the excise taxes placed on whiskey, a commodity essential to their economic success. However, a key difference separates the two. Shays's Rebellion was not able to be suppressed by the federal government, but the Whiskey Rebellion was. The purpose for this comparison is to show how the new system of government that was formed as a result of Shays's Rebellion gave the federal government the ability to quell insurrections and resistance. After Shays's Rebellion, the government made sure they would never be helpless to insurgence again. The Whiskey Rebellion stands as evidence of that shift in federal power.