Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Made In Scotland to all our wonderful friends and family in America. In honour of the occasion we have put together some facts about Scotland’s influence on the USA:
Did you know about Scotland’s influence in the USA!
A careful examination of a map of the United States can reveal the pattern of settlement and Scottish influence there. At least 8 places are called Scotland, eight are called Edinburgh, and many are known as Aberdeen, Glasgow, and other names familiar from a map of Scotland. Scottish settlers and immigrants clearly named these places. The Presbyterian church, brought to the US by Scottish settlers, now has an American community.
Many famous American figures were Scottish or had Scottish ancestry. Nine of the thirteen governours of the original states were Scottish. The Declaration of Independence was printed by John Dunlap, whose ancestors hailed from Ayrshire and a number of Scots added their signatures to that historic document. Since then, there have been no fewer than eleven American presidents who could claim Scottish ancestry.
Born in Scotland in 1726, Hugh Mercer was a fugitive, who served as an assistant surgeon for the Jacobite’s. Eventually, he escaped to America and settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he befriended George Washington. He joined the revolutionaries in the Revolutionary War after serving in the British Army and they appointed him Brigadier General of the Armies of the United States in 1776. He was killed a few days after Trenton – having been mistaken for George Washington. His descendants include General George Patton and the songwriter Johnny Mercer.
There are also a huge range of educational links between Scotland and the USA. The USA is Scotland’s tip global collaborator in research. Harvard University, in particular, has strong links with Scottish institutions. It is the top single institution worldwide for academic collaboration with Scottish Universities. Thousands of American students’ study in Scotland and many Scots attend US Universities as well.
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