Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland. When hundreds of thousands of Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, they brought with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition; and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working-class America and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself. Born Fighting is the first book to chronicle the epic journey of this remarkable ethnic group and the profound but unrecognised role it has played in shaping the social, political and cultural landscape of America from its beginnings through to the present day.

Reviews of Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

"An extraordinary and ambitious book, written with power and perfect clarity" Scotland Magazine "Powerful stuff … an absorbing book" BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine "An entertaining and thought-provoking read" Scottish Field "A comprehensive account of the effect the Scots-Irish had on the American people of today … a scholarly work" Scottish Home and Country "Certainly provides some illuminating historical perspectives … definitely worth a read" Morning Star