The Whiskey Rebellion

In 1791, the newly created United States government enacted its first federal tax -- a tax on spirits. Many Americans west of the Appalachian Mountains were cash short and used whiskey as money. The tax was seen by them as an oppressive measure to force them to bail out the debts of eastern bankers who had speculated during the Revolutionary War. Some westerners took action -- legal and extra-legal -- to counteract what they saw as a new tyranny emerging to replace the British Empire that they had recently defeated. The Whiskey Rebels, in their eyes, were the next generation of the revolutionary Sons of Liberty. THE WHISKEY REBELLION is unique venture in the graphic novel as nonfiction truth-teller. Resistance against the 1% that we see today has a long history, and the art as well as the narrative here offer readers young and old something valuable. Look for this book! Paul Buhle, co-editor of WOBBLIES! and a dozen other comics. It's very refreshing to see such a well-drawn, informative, fast-moving graphic-novel treatment of this crucial conflict in the life of the young nation. William Hogeland, Author of The Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels Who Challenged America's Newfound Sovereignty