The Fries Rebellion
Film Project
Artwork by James Mann is on display at the Bartholomew Center for the Preservation of Lower Macungie Township History.
In anticipation of America250 celebrations to be held nationwide in 2026, the Lower Macungie Township Historical Society has prepared a script to produce a 30-minute film about The Fries Rebellion. In this docudrama, places and events of the Fries Rebellion are seen through the eyes of a modern schoolgirl. Audiences of all ages will be entertained and informed about an insurrection that occurred in 1798-1799, primarily in the German-speaking populations in and surrounding the “Lehigh Hills” region of then Northampton, eastern Berks, upper Bucks, and upper Montgomery counties of Pennsylvania.
Macungie Township in the late 1790s was a hotbed of patriotic protest. Local farmers and others joined together to voice strident opposition to the way they perceived the new nation was going under President John Adams’s administration, and rebelled against a new federal tax. Named after its leader, John Fries (pronounced “freeze”), the Fries Rebellion made waves at the highest levels of the new government.
To date, the Quakertown, Upper Milford, and Alburtis-Lockridge historical societies, the Sun Inn Preservation Association in Bethlehem, the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center in Kutztown, and Lehigh University’s Professor Scott Paul Gordon, Ph.D., are planning to collaborate on this historic project. Several of the scenes will be filmed at original sites that still exist. In addition to being distributed via various media outlets, this film is expected to become an essential tool for schoolteachers. It will provide insights into the ongoing, unfolding American experiment, highlight many aspects of our local heritage, and be a legacy for generations to come.
The Lower Macungie Township Historical Society is seeking your support to help bring this important film to fruition. Please donate below; or click sponsor film for more information about the film and various sponsorship opportunities. Thank you in advance for your support!
Macungie Township in the late 1790s was a hotbed of patriotic protest. Local farmers and others joined together to voice strident opposition to the way they perceived the new nation was going under President John Adams’s administration, and rebelled against a new federal tax. Named after its leader, John Fries (pronounced “freeze”), the Fries Rebellion made waves at the highest levels of the new government.
To date, the Quakertown, Upper Milford, and Alburtis-Lockridge historical societies, the Sun Inn Preservation Association in Bethlehem, the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center in Kutztown, and Lehigh University’s Professor Scott Paul Gordon, Ph.D., are planning to collaborate on this historic project. Several of the scenes will be filmed at original sites that still exist. In addition to being distributed via various media outlets, this film is expected to become an essential tool for schoolteachers. It will provide insights into the ongoing, unfolding American experiment, highlight many aspects of our local heritage, and be a legacy for generations to come.
The Lower Macungie Township Historical Society is seeking your support to help bring this important film to fruition. Please donate below; or click sponsor film for more information about the film and various sponsorship opportunities. Thank you in advance for your support!
For the production of the Fries Rebellion film by the Lower Macungie Township Historical Society, a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization. Thank you for your donation!
