The Whiskey Tax All Over Again - Part I

Did you know that Washington brewed whiskey?

There is no more compelling issue to dramatize the historical American clash of individualism against public duty than the Whiskey Tax, also known as the Whiskey Rebellion. 

Farmers in Pennsylvania and other areas of the fledgling and financially struggling new American Republic, rebelled against a whiskey tax. The imposition of taxes means control and Americans had just revolted against the imposition of the Stamp Act taxes on tea and other commodities supplied by the British, taxes which funded the British Empire.

Background

The problem, of course, was that the US accumulated a huge debt to finance its revolution. This debt could not be financed by the imposition of customs duties alone (what Hamilton advocated), and more money had to be raised. So Washington raised 3,000 troops and put down the Whiskey Rebellion.

Today, as Adam Smith exhorted, the market determines how much whiskey is consumed and yes, it is still taxed (pardon the pun).

A Little History

History is never dead and is not even past, as Faulkner affirmed, and this issue is being fought over today. A woman in Texas, recently refused to wear a mask in stores, because, as she stated; “what right does the government have to tell me what to wear?" The answer to this question lies in our history; the History of America. 

In the Beginning

The preamble to the Declaration of Independence reads; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.”

This was written by Jefferson, a land owner, slave holder, father of children by Sally Hemings who was one of his house slaves. Jefferson was also a significant debtor to British banks, as were many Virginia plantation owners.

It is often argued that our Founders were agnostic. My simple question is if they were agnostic, meaning “a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God, “why is the word Creator capitalized in the Declaration? 

Several things are infinite and Certain;

and;

“We,” Government and the Imagination 

Like Jefferson, Washington was a landowner, a soldier and a statesman. He greatly feared that our new nation would imitate Europe; its autocracies, its religious wars. When it became clear that he had achieved a level of success that would promote him to the US Presidency, our Founder hung up his uniform and his sword so that he would not be perceived as a European military dictator;

With a Little Help from Our Friends

Washington loved Lafayette as a son and today, nearly every US city has a street named after him. Lafayette Park, located near the White House and Capitol, was the scene of recent protests;

Lafayette left a life of privilege in the Old World in order to create a New World. That’s what statesmen do. 

Washington had allies. His chief ally was Louis XVI who so incessantly lent Washington money that he and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were eventually decapitated;

The aid that Washington received was not only money which was also provided by the women of Cuba -yes Cuba, but also included the logistical support provided by de Beaumarchais, de Barras and de Grasse, and the troops, support and pilots provided by Haiti, and of course, the sacrifice of our front line troops;

Discipline was instilled in the ragged complement of American troops by von Steuben, DeKalb, Tadeusz Kosciuszko and several others. The list of French officers who aided in the victories at the Chesapeake and Yorktown is too long to be included here. The point is that we did not achieve our Independence alone or without considerable money, logistical (beans, bullets, ammo and bandages) support from our allies and friends, and most priceless of all, their strategic direction.

Strategy

Washington was flexible and humble enough to change strategic direction. His front-line allies, Rochambeau;

and de Grasse, 

who btw was taller than Washington and called the American general "mon petit general, " my little general, convinced our Founder to redirect both his forces and his strategy towards the American South rather than attack New York, where the harbor was difficult (the sand bar at Sandy Hook) and where the British fleet, infantry and artillery were concentrated. The Battle of Long Island, a defeat for Washington, evidenced this;

The French infantry in Rhode Island joined Washington on the Long March south, to Baltimore. The French artillery train in Rhode Island, was loaded aboard the ships of admiral de Barras who was to evade a British naval blockade in order to join de Grasse and Washington in Virginia. Henry Knox and his men dragged his artillery train from Upper New York to Baltimore.

After de Grasse’s ships mauled a British fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, de Grasse, Washington and Rochambeau (and Lafayette) rendezvoued at Baltimore. The combined troops and artillery joined by the Rhode Island-based artillery train of de Barras who had evaded the British blockade, all debouched in Virginia and proceeded to unmercifully pound Cornwallis, trapped at Yorktown by de Grasse's fleet, causing him to surrender. Earlier, artillery had caused the British to abandon Boston.

“Artillery gives dignity (and success) to what would otherwise be just another vulgar brawl.”

Statesmanship 

Statesmanship is another word for competent leadership. FDR, stated that the first duty of a statesman is to educate. He also stated about the role of government, that;

This is especially true of a Democracy because as Churchill and Brecht said;

and as Einstein and Steve Jobs reinforced; 

Part II - Continuation of the Whiskey Tax