The Scotch-Irish: A Social History

by James G. Leyburn

Overview

Dispelling much of what he terms the 'mythology' of the Scotch-Irish, James Leyburn provides an absorbing account of their heritage. He discusses their life in Scotland, when the essentials of their character and culture were shaped; their removal to Northern Ireland and the action of their residence in that region upon their outlook on life; and their successive migrations to America, where they settled especially in the back-country of Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, and then after the Revolutionary War were in the van of pioneers to the west.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807888919
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	11/15/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Lexile:	1350L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

The late James G. Leyburn was professor of sociology at Washington and Lee University.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	v
	Introduction	xi
Part I	The Scot in 1600
1.	Poverty and Insecurity	3
2.	Domestic Life of the Lowland Scot	14
3.	Scottish Social Institutions in 1600	36
4.	Religion in Scotland	47
A.	Before the Reformation	47
B.	The Reform and After	56
5.	The Mind and Character of the Lowlander	62
Part II	The Scots in Ireland
6.	The Plantation of Ulster, 1610 and After	83
7.	Causes of the Scottish Migration	99
A.	Economic	99
B.	Religious	101
8.	The Pioneer Scots in Ulster, 1606-1634	108
9.	The Hard Years, 1634-1690	120
10.	Intermarriage with the Irish	133
11.	The Character of the Ulster Scot	140
Part III	The Scotch-Irish in America
12.	The Migration	157
13.	Scotch-Irish Settlements	184
A.	Southeastern Pennsylvania	186
B.	The Valley of Virginia	200
C.	The Upper Carolinas	210
D.	Indian Menace to Settlement	223
E.	Smaller Settlements of Scotch-Irish	225
(1)	New England	236
(2)	The Middle Colonies	242
(3)	The Tidewater South	250
14.	Frontier Society	256
15.	The Presbyterian Church	273
16.	The Scotch-Irish in Politics	296
17.	Final Estimate	317
Appendix I	The Name "Scotch-Irish"	327
Appendix II	Important Events in Scottish History	335
	Notes	338
	Bibliography	354
	Index	373

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“[Leyburn] has produced the best synthesis of what is known of the Scotch-Irish in their two centuries as an identifiably distinct people. . . . It is a tribute to the author’s skill in writing that the epic quality survives even when he has discredited the many myths that have come to surround it. . . . We have to thank [Leyburn] for a most readable contribution to the growing body of sophisticated literature on immigration in the colonial period.”—Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

“The work of an able sociologist who is equally proficient as a historian, this scholarly, objective study of a significant immigrant group is of such merit that it should supersede most of its predecessors. Against the background of the history of the Lowland Scot, as he moved from Scotland to Ireland to America, the author has made a sober reappraisal of how character and culture were molded by these migrations. His style is clear and most readable.”—Mississippi Valley Historical Review

“Shrewd and novel speculations on frontier society and national character. . . . The best survey yet of the Scotch-Irish.”—American Historical Review

“This admirable book takes a fresh and frank look at the Scotch-Irish, examining with discernment the effect on them of their long migration from Scotland through Ulster to colonial America. . . . Soundly conceived and written with insight and verve, the book dispels some common misconceptions of the Scotch-Irish.”—Journal of Presbyterian History

“Clearly written and well organized. The chief value of the work lies in its successful attempt to provide a natural connection between Scotch-Irish history in Scotland and Ulster and that in America. . . . Leyburn has provided the general reader with an extremely useful account.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“Particularly welcome as a general study of the Scotch-Irish before and during their move to America. . . . This book shows clearly the usefulness of an interdisciplinary approach to social history.”—Maryland Historical Magazine

“Sociologists interested in the field of intergroup relations will read with interest this sweeping social history of the Scotch-Irish. . . . A substantial contribution to the literature on American ethnic groups.”—American Sociological Review

Editorial Reviews

“Shrewd and novel speculations on frontier society and national character. . . . The best survey yet of the Scotch-Irish.”—American Historical Review

“Leyburn has produced the best synthesis of what is known of the Scotch-Irish in their two centuries as an identifiably distinct people. . . . It is a tribute to the author’s skill in writing that the epic quality survives even when he has discredited the many myths that have come to surround it. . . . We have to thank [Leyburn] for a most readable contribution to the growing body of sophisticated literature on immigration in the colonial period.”—Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

“Sociologists interested in the field of intergroup relations will read with interest this sweeping social history of the Scotch-Irish. . . . A substantial contribution to the literature on American ethnic groups.”—American Sociological Review

“Clearly written and well organized. The chief value of the work lies in its successful attempt to provide a natural connection between Scotch-Irish history in Scotland and Ulster and that in America. . . . Leyburn has provided the general reader with an extremely useful account.”—North Carolina Historical Review

“Particularly welcome as a general study of the Scotch-Irish before and during their move to America. . . . This book shows clearly the usefulness of an interdisciplinary approach to social history.”—Maryland Historical Magazine

“This admirable book takes a fresh and frank look at the Scotch-Irish, examining with discernment the effect on them of their long migration from Scotland through Ulster to colonial America. . . . Soundly conceived and written with insight and verve, the book dispels some common misconceptions of the Scotch-Irish.”—Journal of Presbyterian History

“The work of an able sociologist who is equally proficient as a historian, this scholarly, objective study of a significant immigrant group is of such merit that it should supersede most of its predecessors. Against the background of the history of the Lowland Scot, as he moved from Scotland to Ireland to America, the author has made a sober reappraisal of how character and culture were molded by these migrations. His style is clear and most readable.”—Mississippi Valley Historical Review

From the Publisher