American Identity, Economics, and Politics

2. ● Fighting for what you believe in
● Freedom
● Public education
● Civic responsibility
● Blue-collar American ideas

3. Fighting for your beliefs
● Scots-Irish brought with them ideas and
beliefs of individualism
o The right to do what you please
● They felt they had the right to live how
they wanted
(Cultural Influences)

4. Fighting for your beliefs (cont.)
● Lived a life style of footloose and fancy free
● Their lifestyle earned them the nickname of
frontiersmen
● They were and still are to this day referred to
as Hillbilly because of their beliefs and way of
life
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

5. Freedoms
● When washington was looking for people to
fight in the revolution they were the first to
step up
● Led the Whiskey rebellion
(Tracing the Scots-Irish)

6. Freedoms (cont.)
● Supported America's freedom fight; they were fierce
patriots
● It was said that the Scotch-Irish were the backbone of
George Washington's army. When it came time to fight
for independence they were the first to answer the
call.
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

7. Public Education
● Embraced the conviction of John Knox to
put a school in every parish for the
education of the general public
● Almost all Scotch -Irish could write their
names on the ships log when migrating to
America
"Tracing the Scots-Irish."

8. Public Education (cont.)
● A strong belief that you must be educated
and understand all laws
● An anti trust in government and its
representatives
(Cultural Influences)

9. Civic Responsibility
● The Scotch-Irish believed it was their duty to
participate in government
● Desired public education
● Passed down tradition of culture and craft
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

10. Civic Responsibility (cont.)
Although the Scotch-Irish believed in keeping
true to their civic duties, they also had their
own idea of what they were. Civic duties are
commonly described as voting, jury duty, and
paying taxes. Only two of which they were
willing to participate in. Taxes, in their eyes,
did not allow you to be free.

11. Blue-collar American Ideas
They were not the only ones who settled in the
mountains, but“they were the most colorful, the most
influential”
These ideas established a strong culture that is still
prominent today in the midwest and Appalachian
mountains.
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

12. Blue-collar American Ideas (cont.)
● Stubbornness
● Lack of trust in the government
● “Grim stern people, strong and simple”
● “Best fitted to conquer the wilderness”
● Hard work and the ability to survive
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

13. ● Whiskey
● The building of America
● Music and dance
● Education
● Religion

14. Whiskey
● Some would argue that they would build a still before
anything else when settling in the Americas
● It was something that
they knew how to do
well
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

15. Whiskey(cont.)
● The Scots-Irish knew that selling whiskey was more
profitable than selling raw materials used to make the
whiskey
● Adapted to using crops found in the mountains as
opposed to barley and rye.
● Corn and even potatoes were used in fermentation
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

16. Whiskey (cont.)
The Whiskey Rebellion
● In the 1790’s the government placed a tax on whiskey to help pay for the
debt that had accumulated during the war.
● The Scots-Irish rebelled against the newly instated tax by harassing the
debt collectors
● The resistance was crushed when George Washington marched with
13,000 troops to put a stop to the rebels
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

17. The building of America
“The Scots-Irish became more commercially aware than
their 'cousins' back in Scotland as a result of their
extensive involvement in the Ulster linen industry. This
was an undertaking that required skills in production,
processing and marketing. These were areas of generic
skills which would prove to be crucial in building the
business of America.”
(Cultural Influences)

18. Some other famous people
from Scotch -Irish descent who
influenced the economy
instead of politics
Frontiersman-Davy Crockett
Inventors- Robert Fulton, Samuel Morse
Writers- Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe,
and F. Scott Fitzgerald
(Encyclopedia)
The building of America (cont.)

19. The building of America (cont.)
The Scotch-Irish Introduced the potato to the
Americas Making it a staple crop for Maine as
well as an economic base.
(Irish & Scotch Irish)

20. Music and Dance
● The roots of their music can still be heard
in southern rock and folk music
● Their songs told stories of the
lives they lived
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

21. Music and Dance (cont.)
“Scottish and Scotch-Irish customs include the shivaree (an
elaborate courting ritual that involves the serenading of the bride
outside her window) and square dancing. The square dance began
with reels and other dances enjoyed by the nobility and was
transformed to the present popularity of line dancing—steps done
to music often featuring the most Scotch-Irish of instruments, the
fiddle. Today's "Texas Two-Step" and "Boot-scooting" evolved from
ancient ritual dances.”
(Countries and Their Cultures)

22. Education
“The Scots Irish shared with the Scots a belief
in the importance of Education”
They founded schools all over. The most well
known is Princeton
(Cultural Influences)

23. Education (cont.)
● The Presbyterian Church had a direct
influence on America's educational
system.
● Wanted to educate America through
their parishes, but these schools ended
up teaching more than religion
● This created an increase in education
and helped spark the industrial era
(Tracing the Scots-Irish)

24. Religion
● The Calvinist Reformation taught the Scots-Irish that
they were a chosen people and they hungered for the
promised land which was always just beyond the
horizon
● Presbyterian Church was established in a country very
strongly rooted in the Catholic faith which caused
great religious turmoil and conflict
(Scotch-Irish)

25. ● Owning land
● Wariness of government
● Religious impact on the
government
● Founding Fathers
● Presence in the White
House

26. Owning Land
“Scotch-Irish Americans have been involved with U.S.
government from the founding of the Republic. As
landholders and farmers, they were very much the people
Thomas Jefferson had in mind as participants in his
agrarian democracy”
(Countries and Their Cultures)

27. Owning Land (cont.)
Owning land played a huge part in American
politics during its early years. If you were not
a property owner, you could not vote. It
allowed the Scotch-Irish to have a say in their
government where others did not have that
privilege.

28. No Trust In Government
● “wariness of all 'rulers' particularly those associated
with ecclesiastical forms of Government”
● With the ability to vote and the uncertainty and
distrust of the government, they were influential to
benefit themselves
(Cultural Influences)

29. No Trust In Government (cont.)
● Without the ability to trust the government
to allow their freedom to prevail, the
Scotch-Irish took it upon themselves to
maintain a position in American politics.
● This became a common practice amongst
many of them.

30. Religious impact
“The Scots-Irish almost without exception supported America's freedom fight;
they were fierce patriots. Having been oppressed by Ireland by the English
Parliament, they were unwilling to endure more tyranny in their new home.
The Scots-Irish, however, did not come to America to escape the strict rules
of their Presbyterian faith. In fact, the customs of that religion formed the
basis by our government -- early officials were influenced by the religion's
system of courts while building the American system.”
(Tracing the Scots-Irish)

31. Religious impact (cont.)
They held a high
belief that their right
to practice was
sacred.
(The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish)

32. Founding Fathers
● John Hancock and Charles Thomson were both
influential in the founding of our country.
● Both shared Scotch-irish heritage
(Tracing the Scots-Irish)

33. Founding Fathers (cont.)
● “Few figures were more well known or more popular than John Hancock.
He played an instrumental role, sometimes by accident, and other times by design, in
coaxing the American Revolution into being”
● Although he was not a typical “Hillbilly” he had many traits.
o didn’t like the British government
o had a love for politics
o stubbornness
 while signing the declaration of independence:
● "There, I guess King George will be able to read that!" He was the first to sign and he did so in an entirely blank space.
(John Hancock)

34. Presence in the White House
Most of our presidents have some blood line or ties to the
Scotch-Irish
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
James Polk
James Buchanan
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Chester Arthur
Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush.

35. Presence in the White House (cont.)
● Dominant culture in politics
● Paved the way to our present day
government
● Carried on the spirit of freedom through
bloodlines

36. Works Cited
"Countries and Their Cultures." Scottish and Scotch-Irish Americans. N.p., n.d. Web.
02 Apr. 2015.
"The Irish in North Carolina." The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of
Ireland 2.1 (1932): 116-19. Web.
"Tracing the Scots-Irish." Tracing the Scots-Irish. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
McReynolds, Allister. "Cultural Influences." Cultural Influences. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Apr. 2015.
"The Scots/Irish Immigration of the 1700s." The Scots/Irish. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr.
2015.
"The Appalachians: The Scotch-Irish." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"John Hancock." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 03 Apr.
2015.
"Irish & Scotch Irish - Aroostook County." Irish & Scotch Irish - Aroostook County. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Scotch-Irish." Scotch-Irish. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
"Scotch-Irish." Dictionary of American History. 2003, and TOM McARTHUR. "Scotch-