How the Scots Made America

By Michael Fry

Book Overview

Ever since they first set foot in the new world alongside the Viking explorers the Scots have left their mark. In this entertaining and informative book, historian Michael Fry shows how Americans of Scottish heritage helped shape this country, from its founding days to the present. They were courageous pioneers, history-changing revolutionaries, great Presidents, doughty fighters, inspiring writers, learned teachers, intrepid explorers, daring frontiersmen, and of course buccaneering businessmen, media moguls, and capitalists throughout American history. The Scots' unflappable spirit and hardy disposition helped them take root among the earliest settlements and become some of the British colonies' foremost traders. During the Revolution, the teachings of the great Scottish philosophers and economists would help to shape the democracy that thrived in America as in no other part of the world. America may have separated from the British Empire, but the Scottish influence on the young continent never left. Armed with an inimitable range of historical knowledge, Fry charts the exchange of ideas and values between the Scotland and America that led to many of the greatest achievements in business, science, and the arts. Finally, he takes readers into the twentieth century, in which the Scots serve as the ideal example of a people that have embraced globalization without losing their sense of history, culture and national identity. Scottish Americans have been incomparable innovators in every branch of American society, and their fascinating story is brilliantly captured in this new book by one of Scotland's leading historians. "How the Scots Made America" is not only a must-read for all those with Scottish ancestry but for anyone interested in knowing the full story behind the roots of the American way of life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312338767
• ISBN13: 9780312338763
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.9" x 0.9" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

how the Scots made America

very informative. the contributions to the Scots in America are incredible . the leadership they provided helped shape this country and make it the greatest nation in the world.

An authoritative blend of social history and culture

The Scots have influenced American history from Viking exploration times to modern times, so it's about time they deserve their own focus - and in How The Scots Made America, author Michael Fry provides this in a survey of how Americans of Scottish roots helped shaped the country. Fry is himself Scottish and has been called 'Scotland's most controversial writer': his columns have long focused on Scottish-American history both in America and England, so he's in the perfect position to provide an authoritative blend of social history and culture.