Review of 'The Whiskey Rebellion George Washington Alexander Hamilton And The Frontier Rebels Who Challenged Americas Newfound Sovereignty' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Another story of Alexander Hamilton, the guy who created the national debt and the uneven whiskey tax to support big government (and big producers) and crush the rural little guy. What he didn't expect was how close this came to civil war - centered in a Pennsylvania county named Washington.
Paying off debts was the reason for the tax, and this would have been a stronger story if that were emphasized up front. The rest of the history is well told, and good attention is paid to both sides. Of course, the tarring/feathering rebels are made out to be the bad guys from the start. This book provides solid information on a little-known period of American history.
Had I spent more direct instead of scattered time, this book might have been better. It did not pull me in at first - better maps would have helped a lot. Even wikipedia …
Another story of Alexander Hamilton, the guy who created the national debt and the uneven whiskey tax to support big government (and big producers) and crush the rural little guy. What he didn't expect was how close this came to civil war - centered in a Pennsylvania county named Washington.
Paying off debts was the reason for the tax, and this would have been a stronger story if that were emphasized up front. The rest of the history is well told, and good attention is paid to both sides. Of course, the tarring/feathering rebels are made out to be the bad guys from the start. This book provides solid information on a little-known period of American history.
Had I spent more direct instead of scattered time, this book might have been better. It did not pull me in at first - better maps would have helped a lot. Even wikipedia lacks details on this, making research more difficult. Will definitely make time in the area the next time I am near Pittsburgh.