Immigrants from Scotland

History - In the 1800's many Scottish people could not find jobs because of the Napoleonic wars. They were starving and could not afford to pay their rent. Also in 1846, a potato famine reached Scotland. Potatoes carried harmful diseases and many people got sick. Some people left for America before they got the disease, and some left with the disease. Many of the people who left with the disease died during the trip.
In the mid 1800's, the Highland clearances began. Landowners evicted people from their homes. Some people's houses were even burned to the ground. The Duchess of Sutherland cleared thousands of crofters, sheep farmers, from their homes between 1807 and 1821. The government would also clear the Scottish of their houses and forced them to go to America. (Source)

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Immigrants - Scottish immigrants were a relatively small group in Wisconsin, number only 3,000 in 1860. Most settled in Waukesha, Rock, Columbia, and Milwaukee counties. (Source)

In America, there were better job opportunities and the wages were 50% higher than in Scotland. The cost of food was also 30% less. Scots had better job opportunities than other immigrant groups because they were well educated and they could speak English well. These immigrants succeeded in mining and factory work. The skills of the Scots were greatly needed in the U.S. In the United States, the land was easier to farm and the potato famine had not reached America. They could grow other crops, such as corn and cotton. (Source)

Clothing - The famous Scottish kilt, a knee-length skirt of a tartan pattern, was created by an Englishman, Thomas Rawlinson, who lived in the 1700s. The older kilts were rectangles of cloth, hanging over the legs, gathered at the waist, and wrapped in folds around the upper body. The blanket-like garment served as a bed-roll for a night spent outdoors. Aside from the kilt, fancy "highland" dress includes a sporan (leather purse on a belt), stockings, brogues (shoes), dress jacket, and a number of decorative accessories. The plaid is a length of tartan cloth draped over the shoulder and does not properly refer to the pattern, which is the tartan. Women's fancy dress is simpler, though elegant, consisting of a white cotton blouse, perhaps with embroidered patterns, and a silk tartan skirt. Her version of the plaid, a tartan also in silk, is hung over the shoulder and pinned in place with a brooch. This finery, like the tartans, is mostly an invention of the modern age but has become traditional and it is taken quite seriously. The tartan shows up elsewhere, commonly worn on ties, caps, and skirts—even on cars and in the costumes of young "punk rockers" in Edinburgh and Glasgow. (Source)

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Holidays - Most Scottish holidays are those celebrated throughout Great Britain; however, two holidays are unique to Scotland: Scottish Quarter Day, celebrated 40 days after Christmas, and the commemoration of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, on November 30. A sentimental holiday is the birthday of poet Robert ("Robbie") Burns, born January 25, 1759, who is perhaps best known to Americans for the perennial New Year's anthem, "Auld Lang Syne." The Scotch-Irish also celebrate July 12, the anniversary of William of Orange's victory over the Catholics at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, with parades. (Source)

Traditions, Customs, and Beliefs - Scottish and Scotch-Irish customs include the shivaree (an elaborate courting ritual that involves the serenading of the bride outside her window) and square dancing. The square dance began with reels and other dances enjoyed by the nobility and was transformed to the present popularity of line dancing—steps done to music often featuring the most Scotch-Irish of instruments, the fiddle. Today's "Texas Two-Step" and "Boot-scooting" evolved from ancient ritual dances.

Scots enjoy large "gatherings of the clan," which celebrate their heritage and offer opportunities to meet others who share membership in the clan. Most states with a large Scottish and Scotch-Irish population (such as New York and Michigan) have "Highland Games," which feature sports such as "tossing the caber," in which men compete to toss a heavy pole the farthest distance. Bagpipe music is a very important part of this celebration, as it is at any celebration of clan identity. North Carolina, which has one of largest concentrations of people of Scottish descent, hosts the biggest gathering at Grandfather Mountain each July. Campbells mingle with MacGregors and Andersons, while enjoying Scotch whisky and traditional cuisine. (Source)

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