Why Scottish History Matters
by Rosalind Mitchison, Editor
Published 1991, reprinted in 2000

”Human beings are the product and embodiment of their own past. It is only by contact with this past, in thinking and in relationships, that we exist.”

“For an individual the destruction of memory means the destruction of personality. The same is true for societies: their history is the main component of their present identity. It is history that makes each individual unique in their interpretation and response to current events. It is history that binds a cultural group together. The study of social and cultural history also provides useful lessons and warnings about the kind of mistakes societies are particularly prone to, but its main significance is in enabling us to know ourselves.” 

”Learning and understanding more about cultural heritage allows people a richer fuller appreciation of their own lives and place in the community.”

Origin of the Scots
Geographically, Scotland is divided into three distinct regions; the vast Highlands and Islands in the north and west, the fertile green central Lowlands along the east coast and the broad valleys and hills of the southern Uplands along the border with England.

The Highlands and the Islands, The Lowlands and the Borders
More than geography separated the three regions but it was the geographic conditions which undoubtedly led to the vast differences in culture, language and the economy. Because of the isolation created by the geography and lack of transportation between the regions, the Highlanders and the Lowlanders did not know each other any better than they knew the Borderers. For centuries their societies and culture grew independently and they all looked on each other with a certain amount of contempt.

There were attempts to draw the Highlands and Borders into the central sphere of Scottish affairs as directed from Edinburgh, both by force and through political, religious and educational sanctions. The effect of this was if anything to reinforce in each a strong sense of regional identity.

An understanding of these regional differences is important to understanding the contributions of the Scots in America, particularly those in the South.

With the death of his cousin, Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, inherited the throne of England as James I. Despite hundreds of years of armed resistance, in 1603, with the stroke of a pen Scotland and England were united under one monarch. One monarch of two very different countries each with ancient animosities internally as well as externally.

Immigration and Emigration
The SCOTS (Scotch)-IRISH
Immigration and emigration, people moving in and moving out, had been common between Scotland and Ireland since well before recorded history. The Irish tribe of Scots came to the west coast of what we recognize today as Scotland about 500 AD. Their descendants, the McDonalds, the MacNeils, the Fergusons and many others, maintained strong ties from the Highlands and Islands to their old homeland.

On March 30, 1603, The Treaty of Melifont ended the Nine Years War between Ireland and England. James VI and I appointed government officials to pass new laws and to demand oaths of allegiance as well as recognition for the Church of England from the Catholic nobility. Many immigrated to the North American continent. Those who stayed chaffed under the yoke. James was determined to put an end to the incessant warfare.

For more than 300 years, authorities in Scotland and England had tried to deal with the lawlessness of the Scottish borders as well. James thought he could solve both problems. He sectioned off land and began to deport large groups from the Lowlands and Borders of Scotland to the Ulster Plantations in Northern Ireland. James thought he was securing a loyal following in the predominantly Catholic country. Instead, he transplanted the Protestant reformation and the Presbyterians.

Emigration to America
The son of James VI and I, Charles I, initiated the settlement of Carolina. In 1629, he granted Carolina to Sir Robert Heath, but Heath did not succeed in founding a colony. After the restoration of Charles II, a charter was granted in 1663.           

In 1707, the Treaty of the Union abolished the Scottish Parliament and Scotland became a part of the United Kingdom. Although many supported the union, the attempts to reinstate the Stuart kings in 1715, 1719, and 1746, brought sweeping reprisals that created hardships for all.

During the 18^th century many Europeans set sail for America. Among them were between 250,000 and 400,000 Scots and Scots-Irish seeking freedom and new opportunity. Many of them could not afford their passage and without any other options were forced to become indentured servants. During the French and Indian War and the American Revolution many who were former prisoners of war pledged their allegiance to the English Crown and served in Scottish regiments fighting under the English flag. Once in America, the Scots and Scots-Irish worked hard to adapt and survive. Ultimately, they developed new ideas and made major contributions to the establishment and growth of what would become the United States of America.

Lowland & Borders Scots
Gabriel Johnson, a Lowland Scot, served as Governor of North Carolina from 1734-1752. He wrote many enthusiastic letters to friends in Scotland inviting them to come to a land where there were two crops each year, free land grants and possible exemption from taxation.

Highland Scots
From 1739 until the American Revolution as many as 50,000 Highland Scottish emigrants moved on to land given them inland from the Carolina coast. Many of the Highland Scots were middle class land owners, military pensioners, and former tacks men. The Cape Fear region along the coast of North Carolina was once home to the largest settlement of descendents of the Highland Scots who arrived prior to the American Revolution. By 1750 the immigration of Highland Scots had peaked.

The Scots (Scotch)-Irish
Living under virtual siege in Ulster the Scots Presbyterians turned to family, business and their Kirk.

Their success in the textile trade was phenomenal. However, laws were soon passed to tax and limit their success. Looking for better opportunities, many left for America.

America’s pillars stand on the foundation built many European, African, and Asian immigrants, which include the important contributions of the Scots and Scots-Irish. Rural Hill is a symbol left behind as a memorial to their hard work and devotion to creating this great nation, the United States of America.