My great grandfather's great grandfather fought at Culloden and, I suppose because of his youth, he was transported to America rather than executed. I don't know the details. Regardless, I harbor no romantic notions about such a rebel cause.

From an American history point of view, very little was mentioned in my grade school about why so many people came to America. There was no mention of the transport of Scots by Cromwell, the Highland clearances or the Irish potato famine - just the tales of the pilgrims and other initial explorers and settlers. There's just not enough time to provide the details when the curriculum has to cover so much other subject matter.