Last updated: September 21, 2020
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Whiskey Rebellion: Answers to Question 9.
If you answered:
A). Liberty and freedom. That was the Rebel opinion.
B). Civil protest and balance. That was the Moderate opinion.
C). Unity and order. That was the Federalist opinion.
To the rebels the rebellion was about liberty and freedom. They wanted locally controlled government that would enact just laws and allow them to pursue their agrarian view of the future. They wanted freedom to criticize the government. Many of them thought they were being true to the ideals of the American Revolution. The whiskey tax was very similar to the hated taxes imposed by the British on the colonists that sparked the American Revolution, and they used the same protest tactics.
Although the rebellion was suppressed, it helped create an opposition party to the federalists who were in power.
As the moderates reacted to the situation west of the mountains, they sought to find a balance between fighting what they saw as an unjust and regionally crippling law, and the need to maintain peace and order. The Constitution was so new, no one knew how civil protest should be carried out. There would always be conflict – between the rich and the poor, the farmers and the industrialists, the anarchist and the tyrant.
These competing interests created conflict and the moderates sought to use legal means to find the solutions.
The federalists’ priority was to preserve the unity of the United States and maintain order while enforcing its laws. Washington stated the rebellion showed the power and sprit of the nation and he declared the American people supported the law and the government. Hamilton believed the crisis strengthened the reputation and economics of the country.
The Whiskey Rebellion showed the federal government’s commitment to the union and its ability to enforce laws throughout the land.