History On Tap: “TESTING DEMOCRACY: GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE WHISKEY REBELLION”
Wednesday, January 21
7:00pm – 8:30pm
We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday year with some extra–special guest speakers and local brews at HISTORY ON TAP! January kicks off with a fan-favorite speaker – Dr. Richard Faulkner, from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. In 1792, George Washington faced the brand-new nation’s first great constitutional crisis – THE WHISKEY REBELLION.
Alexander Hamilton’s plan to put the nation’s economic foundations on a firm footing through an excises tax on distilled spirts had led to a violent opposition in the nation’s backcountry. This lecture will examine the tightrope that Washington walked in enforcing his constitutional duty to enforce the nation’s laws while also balancing the need to uphold the constitutional rights of citizens. Washington’s efforts to suppress the so–called Whiskey Rebellion would see the federal government’s first use of military force domestically and the establishment of federal law as the ultimate law of the land.
History On Tap: “EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY: LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS IN JOHNSON COUNTY”
Wednesday, February 25
7:00pm – 8:30pm
We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday year with some extra–special guest speakers and local brews at HISTORY ON TAP! Get a special deep-dive into our local community’s history with Curator Andrew Gustafson as he shares stories from Johnson County Museum’s latest exhibition on “EVERYDAY DEMOCRACY.”
Democracy isn’t only written in founding documents or decided at the ballot box – it’s lived every day. For 250 years, people in Johnson County have claimed, challenged, and redefined the ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Based on the Johnson County Museum’s special new exhibit, Everyday Democracy, this presentation will explore how ordinary people shape democracy through their choices, voices, and communities – and asks what role each of us will play in its future.
History On Tap: "WE, THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS: THE STORY OF KANSAS'S FOUNDING DOCUMENTS”
Wednesday, March 18
7:00pm – 8:30pm
We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday year with some extra–special guest speakers and local brews at HISTORY ON TAP! Explore the roots of our state democracy and Kansas’ founding documents from 1820 to 2020 with Dr. Virgil Dean, longtime editor and now consulting editor of the Kansas State Historical Society’s quarterly journal “Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains."
A nation or state’s founding documents speak to the values and aspirations of its people, and at a functional level, provide the functions of government. For the United States, these are the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, and for Kansas, the 1859 Wyandotte Constitution qualifies. It stipulated the form of government, a bill of rights, and systems for elections, education, public institutions, and even the formation of counties and townships. This presentation (organized by the Humanities Kansas Speakers’ Bureau) will explore the key components of the Wyandotte Constitution and look at other foundational documents in the Kansas’ state history. It will also explore the modifications to the constitution to expand the role of government and rights for individuals over the 160 years of statehood.
HISTORY ON TAP presents "Bluejacket, Black Bob, and The Land That Remembers: The Shawnee Tribe in Kansas”
Thursday, November 19, 2026
7:00pm – 8:30pm
We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday year with some extra–special guest speakers and local brews at HISTORY ON TAP! We’re wrapping up our 2026 year on Thursday, November 19 with some local history we live within every day: “Bluejacket, Black Bob, and The Land That Remembers: The Shawnee Tribe in Kansas.”
Johnson County is filled with place names honoring early leaders of The Shawnee Nation – yet many of us pass those parks, roads, schools, and creeks without knowing the stories behind them! Local historian Jenna Peterson Riley follows the Shawnee Nation’s forced journey into Kansas 200 years ago, the communities they built in the face of displacement, and how their history is woven into the landscape we move through every day.
Registration and Additional Details:
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Your $8.00 registration includes the featured presentation and a complimentary beverage! Call 913.248.2360 or visit us online to register. Registration opens quarerly on February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. History on Tap will be held be inside Shawnee Town 1929 Museum’s Town Hall at 11600 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas 66203.
Friends of Shawnee Town Members are entitled to FREE ADMISSION (based on their Membership Level) – call 913.248.2360 to register.