How important is the Declaration of Arbroath..

[macwilkin]

Another repsonse-

Since there appears to be some dicussion regarding taxes and the Revolution - yes I know I am behind the times in this thread, but right now I am working 12 hr days 6 days/week - i refer you to Fowler's Empires at War. Seems the colonies were promised the King would cover their costs. Another case of a politician making a promise he could not keep.

No, he did -- he was the only one who paid for it, because the American colonial assemblies were too cheap to pony up and help pay for their own defence. Ben Franklin couldn't even get them to agree to the Albany Plan of Union in 1754 to work together for mutual self-defence. "He" aslo paid for the British garrison that defeated Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763.

And it was William Pitt, not the King, who offered for London to pay for the raising and equipping of colonial provinical units in the French & Indian Wars. Contrary to the myth, George III had little to do with the disagreement; Parliament and a string of PM's did after William Pitt took sick. It would be interesting to see what would have happened had men like Pitt and Edmund Burke, who agreed with the colonists, would have done -- perhaps we would still be part of the Commonwealth today.

T.

[Lallans]

And after 1776, the Scots Irish were willing to hang around for long periods unpaid, making them the ideal Revolutionary soldiers!

I would feel remiss if I didn't mention a recent book that challenges the idea that the Scots Irish completely vanished into the American melting pot: that would be Born Fighting by James (now Senator) Webb. His book is not without controversy but in particular he has very interesting ideas on the subject of Scots Irish contributions to post-colonial US history (especially during The War Between The States) and if I'm any judge is a great first read on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Born-Fighting-.../dp/0767916883

[macwilkin]

And after 1776, the Scots Irish were willing to hang around for long periods unpaid, making them the ideal Revolutionary soldiers!

I would feel remiss if I didn't mention a recent book that challenges the idea that the Scots Irish completely vanished into the American melting pot: that would be Born Fighting by James (now Senator) Webb. His book is not without controversy but in particular he has very interesting ideas on the subject of Scots Irish contributions to post-colonial US history (especially during The War Between The States) and if I'm any judge is a great first read on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Born-Fighting-.../dp/0767916883

It's no doubt a popular book, but a better book, from this historian's POV, is Leyburn's The Scotch-Irish: a social history. As you said, it is a good first read, but there are much better titles out there. I highly recommend Celeste Ray's Highland Heritage: Scottish Americans in the American South for a more scholarly analysis of the role of Scottish (and Ulster-Scottish) influences in the South.

T.

[macwilkin]

And after 1776, the Scots Irish were willing to hang around for long periods unpaid, making them the ideal Revolutionary soldiers!

Indeed, but for many who joined Washington's Continential Line, pay was a major motivating factor. Charles Patrick Neimeyer's America Goes to War: A Social History of the Continental Army is an excellent source discussing how Washington needed to create a "professional" fighting force that could stand up against the British regulars than the militia, which did not have the discipline to do so.

While the Line certainly kept the Revolution going, as Washington's Army became the cause itself (destroy the army, and you destroy the movement), some (but not all) who joined did so need of a paycheck, especially working-class laborers, seamen, etc. and some were even forced to serve, such as Loyalists in Patriot strongholds.

Don Higginbothan's George Washington and the American Military Tradition is also highly recommended. Higginbotham's discussion of Washington's desire for a commission in the British Army is most interesting, and it certainly makes you wonder "what if...".

T.

[Lallans]

I highly recommend Celeste Ray's Highland Heritage: Scottish Americans in the American South for a more scholarly analysis of the role of Scottish (and Ulster-Scottish) influences in the South.

T.

I had never heard of the Ray book, thanks.

[macwilkin]

I had never heard of the Ray book, thanks.

http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=803

T.