threatening federal agents in several cities . But in 1794 , the government squelched the uprising , helping to establish the federal government 's authority in disputes with individual states . Even non-historians might appreciate the timelessness of the dog-eared document , given its skillful use of bureaucratic language to deliver bad news . One eye-glazing , 76-word sentence probably can be summarized as follows : `` We do n't have the thermometers you 'll need , so for now , use the ones you 've got . '' The document , dated Dec. 18 , 1790 , is an original draft of a `` circular letter , '' an official memo that would have been hand-copied and sent to customs officers , historians said . `` In this circular letter , Hamilton attempts to provide customs officers with new tools to more efficiently do their jobs , '' said Kenneth Melson , acting director of ATF . Hamilton notes that he is sending a hydrometer -- used to determine the specific gravity or density of liquids -- to ports so that customs officers can determine the proof of imported beverages . Hamilton says he intends to provide two hydrometers
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 219-year-old document that stemmed from alcohol tariffs to pay off Revolutionary War debts -- and signed by Alexander Hamilton -- became the property of The National Archives on Thursday . This document , signed by Alexander Hamilton , discusses tools for customs agents to determine alcohol content for imported spirits . The historic letter , which has been the property of the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives -LRB- ATF -RRB- for the past 35 years , chronicles the federal government 's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol . In the document , Hamilton , the first United States secretary of the Treasury , discusses tools for customs agents to determine -- for tax purposes -- the alcohol content of St. Croix rum and other imported spirits . Historians said the document is a notable footnote in American history . In 1789 and again in 1790 , Congress imposed alcohol tariffs to pay Revolutionary War debts . In response to the tax on imports , Americans began distilling their own spirits . And when the federal government began taxing those beverages , citizens staged the `` Whiskey Rebellion , '' harassing and