A Prelude to Revolution: Scots-Irish Vigilantes in the Colonial Backcountry

The American Revolution, and subsequent War for Independence came about through the confluence of several converging ideological strains. One of the chief ideological drivers of the American Revolution was Whig Ideology, which drew heavily on John Locke's understanding of natural law, synthesized with romantic historic notions of free Anglo-Saxons. This mental framework in which much of the revolutionary generation considered their liberties was evident also in the colonial backcountry. The...