Why did farmers object to a tax on whiskey?

* The tax was seen as a burden on small farmers who relied on whiskey distilling as a source of income. Whiskey was often produced on small farms as a way to use up surplus grain, and the tax made it less profitable to do so.

* The tax was also seen as favoring wealthy landowners who could afford to pay the tax and still make a profit from whiskey distilling. This led to resentment among small farmers who felt that they were being unfairly targeted.

* In addition, the tax was seen as an infringement on the traditional rights of farmers to produce and sell their own products. Farmers felt that the government had no right to tell them what they could do with their own crops.

The whiskey tax was a major factor in the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, in which farmers in western Pennsylvania and Virginia protested the tax by attacking federal tax collectors. The rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, but it showed the strength of farmer opposition to the tax.

The whiskey tax was eventually repealed in 1802, due in part to the political pressure from farmers and other opponents of the tax.