Scots-Americans

[Graham]

Some of the great Scots Americans. Feel free to add anything, interesting to know.

Influential Scots in America.

John Muir (1838-1914) is the founder of the modern conservation movement. Father of the American National Parks.

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John Paul Jones was the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. 'Father of the American Navy'

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John Witherspoon was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. As president of the College of New Jersey (1768–94; now Princeton University).

Witherspoon found the school in debt, instruction had become weak, and the library collection did not meet current student needs. At once he began fund-raising locally and back home in Scotland. This helped the school be more on par with Harvard and Yale.

Largely because of him, Princeton became known as the “seedbed” of revolution.

He trained many leaders of the early nation and was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration.

From among his students came 37 judges, three of whom made it to the U.S. Supreme Court; 10 Cabinet officers; 12 members of the Continental Congress, 28 U.S. senators, and 49 United States congressmen. His most prominent students were Aaron Burr and James Madison.

[Graham]

Samuel Wilson (1766 –1854) was a meat-packer from Troy, New York whose name is purportedly the source of the personification of the United States known as "Uncle Sam
Samuel was born to parents originally from Greenock, Scotland.

[GeistFaust]

The Scottish/Ulster Scottish people that have come to America have done many a good thing, and contributed to the foundational identity and personality of the American people.

They took part in the original foundation of the country along with Englishmen, and it is their rebellious and stubborn Presbyterian spirit, which has carved out part of the American spirit and dream as we know of it today.

Its unfortunate the Scottish/Ulster Scottish populations tend to get overlooked, but that is just the unfortunate nature of the Scottish in regards to the common perception of people.

[Graham]

Its unfortunate the Scottish/Ulster Scottish populations tend to get overlooked, but that is just the unfortunate nature of the Scottish in regards to the common perception of people.

To be inconspicuous can be a Scots trait. To talk yourself down and not get too big. We prefer to remember the failures and never the winners. It's just our way.

[European Loyalist]

Scots americans were rapidly assimilated into the dominant american anglo-saxon culture/identity following the revolution. There was little differentiation if at all among the British home nations within American anglo-saxon culture past about the 19th century. Pretty sad.

A similar thing happened in Canada, but on a lesser scale as the differentiation stood out a little more because of our continued British rule (hence there was a lack of a "Canadian" identity as we still thought of ourselves as British until about the 1940's).

[Barreldriver]

Its unfortunate the Scottish/Ulster Scottish populations tend to get overlooked, but that is just the unfortunate nature of the Scottish in regards to the common perception of people.

??? I've seen different, I see English roots getting downplayed or overlooked while everyone and their sister is a part of some Irish Sept, Highland Clan or some burly Scotsman out to shout "freeeeedom" as Mel Gibson did in years ago.

[European Loyalist]

To be inconspicuous can be a Scots trait. To talk yourself down and not get too big. We prefer to remember the failures and never the winners. It's just our way.

It's really not a matter of being inconspicuous or humble or what have you. They were assimilated out of existence in identity terms through semi-organic forces (American nation building that is).

[European Loyalist]

??? I've seen different, I see English roots getting downplayed or overlooked while everyone and their sister is a part of some Irish Sept, Highland Clan or some burly Scotsman out to shout "freeeeedom" as Mel Gibson did in years ago.

haha oh god those people.... Most people who claim to be "irish" or "Scottish" in America are grasping at straws in terms of real connections. It's kind of embarrassing to see a culture that I'm related to being seen as some kind of a novelty that white trash can throw around.

[GeistFaust]

??? I've seen different, I see English roots getting downplayed or overlooked while everyone and their sister is a part of some Irish Sept, Highland Clan or some burly Scotsman out to shout "freeeeedom" as Mel Gibson did in years ago.

Yes, that is true, but I was speaking about Scottish accomplishments in the U.S.

I think English accomplishments are so vast and of a high quality that people can not overlook them, while the Scottish tend to get overlooked as a collective whole.

That said European does raise a good point that a lot of this could have to do with the fact that the Scottish became assimilated quite quickly into the Anglo-Saxon community, to the point where their accomplishments were associated with the English.

[Graham]

Andrew Carnegie One of the captains of industry of 19th century America, Andrew Carnegie helped build the formidable American steel industry. Capitalized at $1.4 billion, U.S. Steel was the first billion dollar company in the world.

Later in his life, Carnegie sold his steel business and systematically gave his collected fortune away to cultural, educational and scientific institutions for "the improvement of mankind."

The richest man in the world, Carnegie's hundreds of millions accounted for about 0.60% of the U.S. annual GDP and has a real value estimated at anywhere from $75 billion to $297.8 billion adjusted for the late 2000s.