[December 9, 2021]
Commemorate the 230th anniversary of the Whiskey Rebellion with special programming on PCN. Featured episodes of, It's History!, PA Books, Battlefield Pennsylvania, and Keystone Cuisine explore the role Pennsylvania had in leading the rebellion.
Watch the Whiskey Rebellion programming on December 20 through the 23 on cable and streaming on PCN Select. Highlights include:
- Tours of businesses such as Jean Bonnet Tavern, Oliver Miller Homestead, and William Bradford House
- An inside look at the Whiskey Rebellion Festival
- Interviews with authors William Hogeland, Meredith Meyer Grelli, and Mark Meyer
In 1791, 230 years ago, Congress passed the Excise Whiskey Tax in order to help pay off debt incurred during the Revolutionary War. Farmers and small distillers in western Pennsylvania often converted their excess grain into distilled spirits and used it as currency. Small distillers considered the tax to be unfair, and as early as 1791, violent protects resulted in tax collectors being tarred and feathered. Federal officials were attacked and their homes burned.
To quash the rebellion, in 1794 President George Washington rode from the capital in Philadelphia to Carlisle to inspect militia mustering there. Washington traveled as far west as Bedford, before leaving the column for Fort Cumberland, Maryland. The arrival of the federal troops in western Pennsylvania put an end to the rebellion. Several of its leaders were brought to trial, but two were convicted, and later pardoned by Washington. It was the only time a sitting commander in chief led troops in the field while in office. The Excise Whiskey Tax was later repealed during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency
Learn more at pcntv.com/whiskey-rebellion.
ABOUT PCN: PCN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit television network dedicated to educating, connecting, and celebrating Pennsylvania's past, present, and future through cable television and streaming platforms. To make a tax-deductible donation to support PCN’s mission or to get the PCN Select App, visit https://pcntv.com/.
HOW TO WATCH: Have cable? You have PCN. No cable? Stream with PCN Select on your favorite device. Learn more at pcntv.com/how-to-watch
WEBSITE: pcntv.com/whiskey-rebellion
DVDS, BLU-RAYS & DOWNLOADS: pcntv.com/shop
SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube - @pcntv,
Instagram - @pennsylvaniacablenetwork
###