Ohio & The Revolution
A quarterly webinar series exploring the history of Ohio at the time of the American Revolution
What was happening in and around the Ohio Country about 250 years ago?
With the 250th anniversary of the United States upon us in 2026, this recorded quarterly webinar series will feature diverse perspectives about what the future state of Ohio looked like and what was happening here in Ohio during the lead up to the United States declaring its independence from Britain in 1776 and beyond. Help us “spill the tea” on the Revolution from a decidedly Ohio-centric perspective.
Episode IV: The Revolution Begins
Join us for America 250-Ohio’s fourth episode of “Ohio & The Revolution” as we convene a panel of experts to explore what was happening at the time of the American Revolution in the Ohio Country. In this episode of “Ohio & The Revolution,” we will be joined by panelists who will explore the events leading up to and during the American Revolution and what was happening in Ohio.
What would be the impact of the Revolutionary War on Native people? Who were some of the key figures in the Ohio Country during the conflict? This and more will be discussed to help us “spill the tea” on this important time in Ohio and American history.
Speaker Bios
Chris Matheney
Chris Matheney has a passion for early American history and recreates various characters from the French and Indian War through the American Revolution. In 1998, he portrayed Major Robert Rogers in the award-winning History Channel documentary Frontier: Legends of the Old Northwest, as well as contributing historical research to the Ohio PBS documentary Opening the Door West. His most recent publication: Ohio Rising: Journey to Statehood, traces key events and people from the last quarter of the 18th century in the Ohio Country. Chris is the historic site manager of the Ohio Statehouse, serving 15 years with the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History Connection) before joining Capitol Square’s Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center. He lives in the foothills of Fairfield County, just outside of Lancaster, Ohio, with his lovely wife Wendy, and spoiled cat Vincent.
Jason Opal
Jason Opal is Professor of History and Dean and Director of the Mansfield campus of The Ohio State University. He did his BA work in history at Cornell University and his graduate level studies at Brandeis University, after which he taught at Colby College (2003-2009) and McGill University (2009-2024) before coming to Ohio State. His major research and teaching areas are early American and United States history, especially in the fields of social, cultural, and legal history, the American Revolution, and the US Constitution. His first book, Beyond the Farm: National Ambitions in Rural New England (2008) was published by the University of Pennsylvania His second monograph, Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation, published by Oxford University Press in 2017, was named to both the History Book Club and the Military Book Club in the United States and as one of the best summer books by The Times of London. Jason also edited Common Sense and Other Writings by Tom Paine in 2012 and has published more than two dozen scholarly articles and over sixty op-eds in newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, and other venues in the US and Canada.
Logan York
Logan York is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and a citizen of the Tribe. He has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Miami University with minors in History and Archaeology. Logan serves as a representative on the Ohio Historic Preservation Advisory Board and over a dozen other boards and leadership teams. Logan came to work for the Tribe in April of 2022 after previously working for Rebecca Hawkins, the consulting archaeologist for the Miami Tribe. As THPO, he is part of the Cultural Resources Office team in the Miami Tribes ancestral homeland.
Andrew Schocket
Dr. Andrew M. Schocket earned a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D from the College of William & Mary. He is a professor of History and American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University, author of Founding Corporate Power in Early National Philadelphia and Fighting Over the Founders: How We Remember the American Revolution, and co-editor of the forthcoming, three-volume Cambridge History of the American Revolution. He is writing a book on the origins and implementation of the first US census.
Todd Kleismit, Executive Director
Todd grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where some of his earliest memories were made during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. He was appointed to the role of executive director of the America 250-Ohio Commission on March 1, 2022 – the day the Commission was announced. Prior to that, Todd served as the director of community and government relations for the Ohio History Connection from 2005-2022. Previously, Todd worked for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, former U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce and he helped form the nonprofit now known as the Greater Ohio Policy Center. Todd is an Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm and a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
2026 Schedule Coming Soon!