Scots-Irish Research Paper

564 Words3 Pages

The oppressive past that the Scots-Irish faced in their home country optimalized the isolated geography of the Greater Appalachian region, as they were able to construct a society that was rooted in individual liberty as opposed to materialism. When living in Great Britain, the Scots-Irish were forced out due to a large increase in rent put upon by the landlords. As noted by a Scot-Irish in American Nations, “We having been, before we came here, so much oppressed and harassed by under landlords in our country, from which we with great losses, dangers, and difficulties came [to]... this foreign world to be freed from such oppression” (Woodard 104). Thus, as evidenced, the Borderlanders travelled to the New World in search of a life free of oppression. …show more content…

On the contrary, the Greater Appalachian ideals juxtaposed those of Tidewater, who saw liberty as a privilege, not a right. In American Nations, it is said, “From the outset, the Yankees were opposed to the very values cherished by the aristocratic society taking shape in Tidewater” (Woodard 63). Much like the Scots-Irish, the Yankees opposed a society dominated by the higher few. As mentioned, the Scots-Irish emigrated to the New World to be freed from the oppression they faced in Britain. The Yankees, in turn, shared similar beliefs, as they opposed the values of Tidewater and entered into conflict with them. Additionally, much like the Yankees, the ideals of Tidewater contrasted those of Greater Appalachia. The inhabitants of the Tidewater region, which was located along the east coast of what would become the United States, valued an aristocratic society. As mentioned in the presentation, the ideals of Tidewater were such that they did not view liberty as a right; instead, they viewed it as privilege. Because of this, they sought it just to keep indentured servants, much like the South did with slavery. The Scots-Irish, however, would be at conflict with this view of freedom. They, “valued individual liberty and personal honor above all else, and were happy to take up arms to defend either” (Woodard 102). Thus, due to a strong