Help US Make History!
In anticipation of America250 celebrations to be held nationwide in 2026, the Lower Macungie Township Historical Society (LMTHS) is partnering with award-winning production companies, In the Wee hours and ubiFire Video Productions, to produce an exciting film about the Fries Rebellion, a violent insurrection that occurred in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley between 1798-99.
The Fries Rebellion was a protest against the Federalist government's first Federal House Tax led by patriotic Pennsylvania-German veterans of the American Revolution. We invite you to be part of this special film project and premiere gala that will celebrate one of the region's defining periods.
For a sneak peek, please take a few minutes to view the teaser video above.
The Story
In the late 1790s, Pennsylvania's Macungie Township 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 moving under President John Adams’s administration, and they 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.
About Us
The Lower Macungie Township Historical Society was formed in 1989 to save a log house in Wescosville, PA from demolition. Since that time, our very active, all-volunteer society has expanded its mission to include educational outreach, programs, social media, and films like this. We wish to bring this historic rebellion to life with your help!
The Film
In this historic docudrama, places and events of the Fries Rebellion are seen through the eyes of a teenager, Kayla, who meets up with her Uncle Steve, a history professor, for assistance on her school report about the Fries Rebellion. After Uncle Steve realizes that a literature search will not work for Kayla, he takes her on a driving tour so she can see and experience some of the places where the Rebellion took place. As they take their tour through the historic sites of the tax revolt, Kayla begins to see the rebellion unfold right before her eyes.
As Kayla experiences these incredible, life-like visions of the rebellion, this simple search for information slowly begins to transform her understanding of her past and present. Kayla not only learns about local history and the ideological and political underpinnings of the Fries Rebellion, but also delves into other late 18th-century cultural issues including slavery, disease, and transportation. She experiences and sees that misguided charismatic leadership, fueled by anger, misinformation, fearmongering, bravado, and inflamed rhetoric can quickly turn a well-established, tight-knit community of peaceful neighbors into violent foes whose disagreement causes innocent victims to be manipulated and to suffer.
With this short film, audiences of all ages will be entertained and informed about this little-known insurrection that occurred 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. Several of the scenes will feature original sites that still exist.
Through the juxtaposition of past and present and personal versus national interests, the film subtly addresses the ongoing search for what liberty, freedom, patriotism, loyalty, and duty mean in the United States of America.
With your contributions, we'll make history!
As we are a non-profit, we truly wish to include the community in bringing this film to life. Besides local grants, we need your help to raise funds as we move from pre-production to principal photography. Production is set to begin in March 2024. With this timing, the film’s premiere and initial film festival run would commence by fall of 2024 to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the Fries Rebellion. The film is expected to become widely available in 2025.
While our overall budget for this film is $300K (including grants and any loose pocket change), we have set our Indiegogo goal to $25,000 in order to raise enough to cover pre-production. If we can manage to surpass our initial goal, it would mean that we can pay the crew better, move through production much smoother, develop the product in the most efficient editing workflow possible, and then get this film to the big screen as soon as we can. Everyone who donates will receive a digital thank you!
For even more details about donations above $2,500, please see our sponsorship page at lmthistory.org/fries-rebellion!
This film will be professionally produced as an educational tool for K-12 teachers in Eastern Pennsylvania and tourism groups from around the world, and distributed nationwide via streaming services, film festivals, museums, and historical societies. The film will provide insights into the ongoing, unfolding American experiment, highlight aspects of local heritage, and be a legacy for generations to come.
We greatly appreciate any support you can give, whether it is by making a financial contribution, by donating time or resources, or simply by sharing the campaign with friends and family! You can learn more at lmthistory.org and follow our socials in order to share posts to spread the word, or ideally share this month-long campaign directly.
Thank you so much for your support of our historic short film. We look forward to sharing updates with you very soon!