This week we studied the Scottish Emigration of the 1730-1780
Podcast: Highland Charge: Scots in Cape Fear
The North and South Carolina is well known as the epicenter of Scottish immigration during the mid-1700s. In this podcast the listener gains an understanding of the reasons for the influx of Scots into the North/South Carolina region during the mid-1700’s. While listening, it is easy to understand why the Southern USA has the greatest number of Highland Games that celebrate Scottish heritage.
The podcast builds a historical foundation by describing the clan system which was prevalent in the highlands. It then describes the Jacobite Uprising of 1745 and the resulting harsh, restrictive practices imposed on the highlanders. Prior to the Uprising, there were already Scots in the Cape Fear area who had arrived in the 1730’s. These Scots communicated back to family and friends in Scotland about the opportunities the Carolinas provided. The high cost of staying on their land in Scotland and the hardships of the highlanders endured was the “push”; and the available land and the tax exemption for 10 years was the “pull”. The exodus from Scotland led to there being nearly 15,000 Scots in North Carolina just prior to the Revolutionary War. The mindset of these Scots is understandable. They had experienced oppression in Scotland and began to feel oppression here in the colonies under British rule.
In the early 1770’s, there were two factions within the Scottish immigrants. Those who had come to the Carolinas a decade of so before and had established a comfortable predictable life under British rule. There were efforts to recruit Scottish Loyalist into the region to ensure some continuation of British rule. Then there were the Scots who came later after Culloden and had separation from British rule on their mind. The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge of 1776 is described in the podcast.
Kimberly Sherman, Ph. D. was interviewed during the second half of the podcast. While there was some repetition of information, she described the aftermath of the Battle of Moore’s Creek for the loyalists who were captured and sent away. Also, in the aftermath there was a voluntary exodus of Loyalist leaving North Carolina with many going to other locations in the British Empire, such as Nova Scotia. She goes on to describe the lasting impact of the Scots in the form of numerous place names in the Carolinas and the cultural and heritage organizations and events of the region.
Podcast Source:
Cape Fear Unearthed, February 27, 2020
https://omny.fm/shows/cape-fear-unearthed/highland-scots-in-the-cape-fear
Podcast written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram