Scots-Irish American

Scots-Irish Americans are descendants of the Ulster-Scots immigrants who came to North America from Ireland in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The Scots-Irish, who had sufferred under the Penal Laws in Ireland, which discriminated against them because of their Presbyterian religion, brought with them a historical grievance against England. This grievance made the settlers and their descendants in North America more ready to join the patriotic cause. Moreover, it has been suggested that their experience in Ulster of being a colonial minority surrounded by a hostile native population, the native Ulster Catholics, prepared them for life on America's frontier. The "Scotch-Irish" celebrated their military victories over the Irish Catholics, which they believed had saved their community from annihilation. Of particular importance for them were the battle of the Boyne, the battle of Aughrim and the siege of Londonderry. James Webb's book, "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America", suggests that the character traits of the Scots Irish, loyalty to clan, mistrust of governmental authority, and military readiness, helped shape the "American Identity". Unlike later immigrant groups, the Scots Irish discarded their past identity and are most likely to put their ethnicity as "American" on census forms.