Hey Jock,
I think one of the reasons that some of us on the west bank of the Pond make such a fuss about our roots and ancestry and Scottish history is that in the US, for a family to have been in the same geographical area for more than three generations is an unusual occurrence, and some of us are looking for some sort of extension of where we came from and from whom we are descended. The ones of us who are interested usually find out all we can about our ancestors and their areas of origin, and if those areas have exciting histories, so much the better.
Now then, those who are interested in all this stuff are by far the minority of the population, as far as I know. I would say that most Americans could not give the names of their great-grandparents, and many, especially younger folks, do not know what occupations their grandparents held. Please don't assume that all of us are history-crazy and can rattle off names and dates of people and happenings in your country. I would guess that, as you've told us several times about your neighbor Scots, the vast majority of Americans don't care or don't know about history, either their own or the country's. Most are more concerned with their job (either keeping it or finding one), paying their bills, raising their children and so forth. It just so happens that the folks who frequent Fora such as this are that minority who are interested, so it may come across as if the whole nation knows more about your country than you do. 'Tain't so, amigo.