The Whiskey Rebellion: Talk by Author Brady Crytzer

Join us at West Overton Village for an engaging presentation by Brady J. Crytzer, historian and author of "The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis."

In 1791, more than a decade before the Overholts settled West Overton, farmers in southwestern Pennsylvania were outraged by the passage of a tax on whiskey. Intended to balance America’s national debt, the tax disproportionately penalized small farmers in the backcountry who distilled their excess grain as a source of income. They demanded that the whiskey tax be revoked or rewritten to correct its perceived injustices. 

As months and years passed, the people of western Pennsylvania grew restless with the inadequacy of the government’s response and soon turned to more violent means of political expression. In response, President George Washington raised an army of 13,000 men to suppress the rebellion. While no major battle occurred, weeks of arrests, illegal detentions, and civil rights violations rocked the west, polarized the nation, and highlighted dramatic differences between political parties.

Get Your Tickets

The program will include Brady Crytzer's presentation and Q&A session, along with a complimentary cocktail provided by West Overton Distilling. Attendees are also welcome to visit the Museum, including the Sam Komlenic Gallery in the new Whiskey Heritage Center.

About the Presenter

With seven books to his credit, Brady J. Crytzer is the winner of the 2023 Judge Robert K. Woltz History Award. A specialist in the Imperial History of North America, Crytzer is a narrator and commentator on the hit cable series "Into the Wild Frontier" on NBC Peacock and “Outlaws and Lawmen” on FOX News. He has been featured on CSPAN, NBC, FOX News, and SiriusXM. He is the host of the weekly hit podcast "Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution."

Crytzer is the host of the Telly Award Winning cable series Battlefield Pennsylvania on the PCN, and the winner of the Donna J. McKee and Donald S. Kelly Awards for Outstanding Scholarship and Service in History. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Journal of the American Revolution, Pennsylvania Heritage, Game News, and Muzzleloader Magazine. His work has been reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, The Journal of Southern History, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, and The Journal of Military History.