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The Scots and Scotch-Irish in America
Discusses the causes leading to the immigration of the Scots and the Scotch-Irish to the United States and describes their contributions to the economy and culture of their new country.
71 pages, Library Binding
First published December 1, 1991
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James E. Johnson
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2022
This is a great introduction to the history of the immigration and the legacy of the Scotch and Scotch-Irish in the United States.
So many Americans, including part of me, are descended from these people many of whom settled in the Southeast beginning in the 1700s. Then there were no immigration laws or quotas. I am struck by the fact that they came for the same reason people want to come to the United States today. And they faced discrimination from the Puritans, just as immigrants face discrimination today.
"The basic reason for the emigration of the Scots, both Highlanders and Lowlanders, from their native land to America was poverty and hard times. The majority of the immigrants were forced to leave their country because of crop failures, low cattle prices, unemployment, and evictions from their farms. Stories had come back to them that in the New World there were no titled landlords to tyrannize the farmer, and that men were valued according to their abilities. They came to look upon America as a place of hope and promise, with cheap lands, low taxes, high wages, and a healthy climate."
"The Puritans of New England were generally hostile to outsiders...A Scotch-Irish settlement in Worcester, Massachusetts, was destroyed by a mob at night. Cotton Mather, one of the most famous ministers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, opposed the plans for allowing Scotch-Irish settlements on the frontier as "formidable attempts of Satan and his sons to unsettle us." ...as one official wrote in 1718, these confounded Irish will eat us all up, provisions being most extravagently dear and scarce of all sorts."
Reading this book left me with another profound impression, one that I accepted without question growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. This book profiles with pictures over 75 people of Scotch-Irish descent. They include successful and unsuccessful politicians, military people, business people, inventors, as well as authors, musicians and poets. Not ONE of these profiles is a female. NOT ONE! The only mention of women in the ENTIRE book is that "The life of a woman in a frontier household was very hard indeed...Everything had to be done the hard way, and women often died at a very early age." WOW! I had forgotten how totally unrepresented females were in the history I was taught.
So many Americans, including part of me, are descended from these people many of whom settled in the Southeast beginning in the 1700s. Then there were no immigration laws or quotas. I am struck by the fact that they came for the same reason people want to come to the United States today. And they faced discrimination from the Puritans, just as immigrants face discrimination today.
"The basic reason for the emigration of the Scots, both Highlanders and Lowlanders, from their native land to America was poverty and hard times. The majority of the immigrants were forced to leave their country because of crop failures, low cattle prices, unemployment, and evictions from their farms. Stories had come back to them that in the New World there were no titled landlords to tyrannize the farmer, and that men were valued according to their abilities. They came to look upon America as a place of hope and promise, with cheap lands, low taxes, high wages, and a healthy climate."
"The Puritans of New England were generally hostile to outsiders...A Scotch-Irish settlement in Worcester, Massachusetts, was destroyed by a mob at night. Cotton Mather, one of the most famous ministers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, opposed the plans for allowing Scotch-Irish settlements on the frontier as "formidable attempts of Satan and his sons to unsettle us." ...as one official wrote in 1718, these confounded Irish will eat us all up, provisions being most extravagently dear and scarce of all sorts."
Reading this book left me with another profound impression, one that I accepted without question growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. This book profiles with pictures over 75 people of Scotch-Irish descent. They include successful and unsuccessful politicians, military people, business people, inventors, as well as authors, musicians and poets. Not ONE of these profiles is a female. NOT ONE! The only mention of women in the ENTIRE book is that "The life of a woman in a frontier household was very hard indeed...Everything had to be done the hard way, and women often died at a very early age." WOW! I had forgotten how totally unrepresented females were in the history I was taught.
September 26, 2009
Though you will most likely find this in the juvenile section of your local library, the discussion of how and when the Scots and Scots-Irish migrated to North America is very good for all age groups. The only down side is that there is no bibliography.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews