LATROBE, Pennsylvania—The making of whiskey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has often been fraught with a fair amount of drama. Whether it was those trying to make it or those trying to drink it, the government has sought to tax and sometimes even ban both activities.
Two hundred thirty years ago, William Findley, a Revolutionary War hero, farmer, and statesman, drew the wrath of Alexander Hamilton over the severe measures the Treasury Department placed on Pennsylvania farmers who opposed the newly enacted federal whiskey excise tax.
Findley, who lived in Latrobe, petitioned the new government to repeal the 1791 whiskey tax, hoping to avoid violence against those charged with collecting it from farmers.
By November 1794, things had escalated to the point that then-President George Washington mustered troops and marched them to Pennsylvania to put down the rebellion….
