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Research Assignment On the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms: A Historical Overview The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is a branch of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that collects taxes on alcohol and tobacco and enforces and regulates all laws made by Congress governing the production and distribution of such substances. The ATF as it is known today was formed in 1972, separating from the Internal Revenue Service to become its own separate bureau, however, its beginnings go all the way back to Colonial times. 1789 is the year the ATF was born, known then as the Department of the Treasury. The first Congress created a tax on imported spirits to help pay off the debts that had accumulated from the Revolutionary War. Two years later, in 1791, Congress followed with a second tax, one on domestic production of spirits. Many taxpaying citizens were unhappy with the new taxes, and a short-lived resistance known as the Whiskey Rebellion took place. It was unsuccessful and the taxes continued. The year 1862 marked the creation of the Office of Internal Revenue, a branch of the Treasury Department that was responsible for collecting taxes and