Among the earliest settlers in America were the Scotch-Irish folks from the Highlands. They were the ones who settled the Appalachians and the Lowlands of the East Coast and, quite often, they were not of their homeland's upper crust. In fact, Georgia, where I am now, was originally a penal colony. Now, that did not make these people serial killers or armed bandits; it was just really easy for poor folks to get on the wrong side of the law in Britain.
No, these folks were farmers and miners and craftsmen of various sorts, and, to be honest, there were a few petty thieves and con men in the lot. They also made the best whiskey imaginable. As time went by, they became respectable citizens, civic leaders, ministers, successful shop keepers and such, but almost always there remained in them a wild streak, a fondness that bordered on obsession for freedom, and a relentless restlessness. As the Nation headed West, after the Louisiana Purchase, they were often in the vanguard, first as explorers and scouts, then as pioneer settlers. They had guts, no doubt of that, and, for good or ill or a bit of both, their fondness for whiskey was equaled by their fondness for battle. They took the Land, stole it, if you will, from the native people. It is easy to sit her, in this time, and decry the way the natives were treated, but, had the frontiersmen, settlers and soldiers not taken the Land, you would not be sitting here now. So, always think twice when considering past actions. Besides, History is amoral. What was done, was done.
These folks, when settled, remained restless and seemed blessed, or cursed, depending on your viewpoint, with a knack for invention, for taking knowledge and using it in new ways, turned their restless minds and native inventiveness to industry, and the Modern American life was born. All sorts of gadgets, from giant engines, to handy kitchen aids were created and, slowly, life, in some ways, grew easier. Prosperity became a possibility for many who thought themselves lost in eternal poverty.
The Scotch-Irish never have lost their love of a good fight and it is no surprise that their names are etched in the annuls of American warfare. Just say the word 'war,' and they were there. I do believe that a little restraint of this trait may have been a good idea but, remember 2 things. As ugly and stupid as World War 1 was, England, our ancestral home, was lost until we stepped in and brought things to a fairly quick conclusion. Then, a short time later, World War 2 again put England, in fact all of Europe in deep peril. Again, after a lot of argument on the home front (at least we were thinking by this point) we intervened. Between the combination of our attack in the West and Russia's heroic defense in the East, the War was, in short order, over. (by the way, we should have taken advantage of the situation and worked out something with our then ally, Russia, instead of launching into the completely idiotic Cold War that damaged both sides so extensively and needlessly).
What is my point? As always, glad you asked. These strange, violent, poetic, magical, hard headed, practical, restless folks did a lot, a whole lot to build America into what it is, or rather what it was in its greatness. This is no longer their Land. That is simply a fact. As more and more immigrate, we seem to be on our way to becoming some sort of bizarre union of Hispanics and Moslems. Okay, again History is immoral and what is, is what is. But, I do believe this now declining population should be given some credit and that folks of all backgrounds need to remember that these people built the Country they are inheriting. A bit of respect is due, please.
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