Again, an excellent post on so many levels...

While reading the parts concerning the whiskey tax, I couldn't help but think of the movie "Lawless", based on a true story, in which a lot of the era's air is depicted gloriously.

On top of being able to find and excellent write up about the movie on Wikipedia, which I would suggest if you are interested in the matter. Here's a link to the preview of the film:

I really enjoy how you brought forth your own answer to this question you ask at the very beginning, great piece of writing and argumentation on that level.

All for one and one for all! Namaste :)