By: Mrs. Brady
Most people assume Appalachian has only contributed hillbillies, inbreeding, and meth to America. However, their influence, traditions and legacies go beyond these negative stereotypes. Scots-Irish Appalachian Americans are responsible for a vast cultural legacy from the birth of American music and beverage to several US Presidents and many American freedom fighters. But for simplicity sake let’s start with the three main influences: bluegrass, bourbon, and brawls.
What’s the difference between Scots-Irish and just Scottish or Irish? Irish immigrants traditionally came to the US during or after the Great Potato Famine in the 1840s and were predominately loyal Roman Catholics. Scottish immigrants came straight from Scotland proper while Scots-Irish immigrants are Scottish via a hundred plus year stay in Ireland.
It’s like this...the countries of Scotland and England border each other and for hundreds of years the groups have warred, bickered, and argued for freedom and territory. The English wanted the Scottish land, but the Scots wouldn’t relent and viciously fought back. Think William Wallace (aka Mel Gibson in Braveheart). The English had the great idea to move their Scottish rebel rousers to Northern Ireland, give them some land and be done with them.
Good plan, but now the Irish are upset that these Scots have taken their land. Thus ensues another couple years’ worth of fighting and terrorizing. Eventually, many of these people leave the persecution of the British crown and seek freedom in America. The largest flux of Scots-Irish, or Ulster-Scots as we are known outside the states, occurred in the 1700s. But why Appalachia?
Easy! It looks and feels like home. It’s isolated, mountainous and, at the time, pretty much free. Free from government rule and free as in – doesn’t cost a penny. My ancestors have been traced well back to the early 1800s moving through North Carolina to the hills of eastern and central Kentucky. Our best guess: we were run away indentured servants (immigrants who agree to be servants for a set amount of time in an exchange for passage to the new world).
So what’s left of these warring, clannish, mountain loving people?
Brawling. Many of the family feuds of Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia are often credited on clannish, familial culture of honor legacy of the Scots-Irish. For hundreds of years, our ancestors were bred on fighting and maintaining family land. Hence, comes the family feuds. The best known feud is the Hatfield and McCoy feud. A feud that began over a pig was romanticized with forbidden love and ends with the death of several people. It’s even believed that I am a descendant of the Baker/White feud of 1905. All those years of warring and fighting has left a people ready for good throw down.
Even social scientist Malcolm Gladwell agrees. In his book The Outliers, he dedicates a chapter entitled “Harlan, Kentucky” to a 1990s University of Michigan experiment on the Culture of Honor.
The scientists at Michigan found that when agitated or aggravated college students of Northern decent remained calm after being insulted; however, the students of southern decent were notably agitated and angry. The scientists’ hypothesis: after hundreds of years of oppression and fighting breeds some easily agitated people ready to brawl. Don’t mess with the Fraulein.
Bluegrass music also originates from the Scots-Irish influence in Appalachia. The music from Ireland, Scotland, and England developed through a couple of hundred years within the mountains of Appalachia and began what was known as “mountain music”.
Bill Monroe, a Kentucky native, and his band “The Bluegrass Boys” popularized the Bluegrass genre during their 1939 appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. While this may seem unimportant to most of you who prefer Drake to Alison Kraus, without bluegrass odds are you don’t have country music which lead to rock and roll. And of course Chuck Berry leads to Elvis which leads to Motown which eventually in a much bastardized route leads the Class of 2015 to their sweet and disturbing love of J Cole.
Minus Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Kentucky dynasty basketball, the most popular legal export of Kentucky comes from our Scots-Irish roots: bourbon. There are currently more barrels of bourbon in Kentucky than there are people. Kentucky produces 95% of the world’s bourbon.
The origins of bourbon originate from the Scots-Irish people that brought the distilling process with them. In fact the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791 pushed the Scots-Irish further into Appalachia to hide from their government and prohibit the revenuers from taxing their moonshine. Down with the man.
The influences of the Scots-Irish could go on for many Tatlers. From Andrew Jackson to Ashley Judd, we have contributed much to American society. However, on a final note, the proper terminology is Scots-Irish. Not Scotch-Irish. Scotch should only be used to refer to that stuff Ron Burgundy drinks.
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