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Articles by Stephanie Cruz
Scottish Influence on The American Revolution


For hundreds of years Scotland was in turmoil trying to be free from the rule of England. As a matter of fact in the 1300’s the Scottish people wrote a Declaration of Arbroath for the liberty of men. It looked as though Scotland would have maintained the freedom from the crown, but times were getting harder for the Scot’s, they were losing everything, their homes and land were being burnt leaving them homeless, hopeless, and desperate. Between the years of 715 and 1745 hundreds of Scot’s left their mother home for the “Land of Opportunity.” Those who stayed faced the most atrocious battle Scotland ever seen; Culloden. It left 2,000 casualties, but England took control of Scotland. Some of the survivors of the battle set sail to America.

By the year 1776 there were at an estimate of close to one hundred thousand Scot’s living in the thirteen colonies. After leaving their mother land due to the turmoil, the come to America facing the same situations, England rule. There were those who were loyal to the crown, but the rest took up arms to fight.

The thirteen colonies were in rebellion and were tired of being taxed to death by England. There were the Sugar Tax, Tea Tax, and the Stamp Act all forcing the colonists to pay. The colonists said that is enough we aren’t taking this any longer, representatives from each state gathered and declared their independence, hence the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 declaring separation from England. The battles went from 1777 to 1783. England surrendered to American in Yorktown in October of 1781.

Here is a note from Caledonian Mercury;

But just a cursory look at the men involved in drafting and signing the declaration reveal a strong Scottish influence.

Of the 56 signatories of the declaration it is estimated that at the least a third were either Scots by birth or of Scottish descent. This number, by some people’s estimates, rises to three-quarters. Whilst it is probable that most of the signatories held non-American ancestry, it is clear that Scottish blood, education and ideas were strongly represented in the drawing up and signing of the document.

The committee set up to draft the declaration comprised five men: Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Of these five, the drafting was entrusted mostly to Jefferson.

Jefferson was himself of Scottish descent, tracing his lineage back to King Robert I of Scotland. But if his claims to Scottish ancestry may be sketchy, his education amongst Scots is not.

My question is I wonder what went through their minds as they signed the Declaration of Independence; could it have been?

Our mother land we have lost, but this war we have won…….freedom!


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