VISUAL ACTIVITYAn Exciseman, 1792 This crude cartoon targets the hated figure of the whiskey tax collector, shown making off with two barrels of the drink. An evil imp hooks him by the nose to deliver him to the gallows, where he is roasted over a flaming barrel of whiskey.READING THE IMAGE: The words above the two small figures on the right read, “Let us tar and feather the rascal.” Are they equipped to carry out that threat? What punishment does the tax collector experience in addition to being hanged, according to the picture on the left?CONNECTIONS: Why might ordinary citizens have targeted the tax collector? Where else could citizens go to complain about excessive federal taxation?
© Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent/Bridgeman Images.