The Scotch-Irish: From the North of Ireland to the Making of America

The   Scotch-Irish   began   emigrating   to   Northern   Ireland   from   Scotland   in   the   seventeenth   century   to   form   the   Ulster   Plantation.   In   the next   century   these   Scottish   Presbyterians   migrated   to   the   Western   Hemisphere   in   search   of   a   better   life.   Except   for   the   English,   the Scotch-Irish   were   the   largest   ethnic   group   to   come   to   the   New   World   during   the   eighteenth   century.   By   the   time   of   the   American Revolution   there   were   an   estimated   250,000   Scotch-Irish   in   the   colonies,   about   a   tenth   of   the   population.   Twelve   U.S.   presidents can   trace   their   lineage   to   the   Scotch-Irish.   This   work   discusses   the   life   of   the   Scotch-Irish   in   Ireland,   their   treatment   by   their   English overlords,   the   reasons   for   emigration   to   America,   the   settlement   patterns   in   the   New   World,   the   movement   westward   across America,   life   on   the   colonial   frontier,   Scotch-Irish   contributions   to   America's   development,   and   sites   of   Scotch-Irish   interest   in   the north of Ireland.