The Violent Acts of the Whiskey Rebels
Whiskey Rebel's protests were mostly non-violent affairs, but attacks against tax officials sent to collect excise revenue were not uncommon. In September 1791, an excise collector named Robert Johnson was attacked by a group of Whiskey Rebels. These Whiskey Rebels were disguised resisters who, after cutting Robert's hair, tarred and feathered him and convinced him to walk some distance. After the Whiskey Tax was declared, Excise Collectors became a physical target for Rebels to demonstrate the level of anger and frustration they felt towards the excise tax. This is one of the multiple instances in which tax collectors were targeted by Rebels. Violent acts started to boil over as protesters were threatening and physically hurting tax collectors, As these violent demonstrations became more and more violent, local militias were being formed to fight these protesters off.
<1 Kyler Burd, "The Revolutionary Language and Behavior of the Whiskey Rebels," All Things Libert, December 10, 2020, https://allthingsliberty.com/2020/12/the-revolutionary-language-and-behavior-of-the-whiskey-rebels/ Accessed November 27, 2024.