A dance called America by James Hunter is a gem to read. This is the story of the highlanders in America after the clearances. So much of Scottish Highland history books ends with the 1745 and clearances. But after the glens were cleared, where did the people go.
Mr. Hunter answers this question and more. In this book, he explains the highland impact on the North American continent. He first tells of the Darien settlement in Georgia and Cape Fear in North Carolina. As the Clan Chiefs focused less on leading the clans and more on renting their land to sheep herders, the Tacksmen or gentry of the clans began to lead many of the displaced people to found these new colonies in the Americas.
He goes on to explain the settlement of the Mohawk Valley in New York State and the continued migration north after the American Revolution to Glengarry in Ontario.
As the clearances continued, clansmen moved to Cape Breton Island and we learn about the involvement of Thomas Douglas, Earl of Selkirk in the new colonies. He strove to help poor highlanders struggling in the coastal crofts of Scotland to settle in his new Red River Colony in what is today modern Manitoba, Canada.
As Mr. Hunter explains, these Highlanders' success and failures in America, we see the rise of the North West Fur Company and the Hudson Bay Company, which were rivals and dominated by Scots. As these two giants merge into one, we see a Canadian, John A. Macdonald, rise and work with other Highlanders and Canadian Americans of Scottish roots to help forge the lands including Red River, Glengarry, and Cape Breton Island into the nation of Canada.
The legacy of the victims of the Highland clearances is the success of the new nations that were helped in building by the clansmen and their descendents in America and Canada.
Mr. Hunter gives a richly detailed account of these lands and the men who created and lived there. James Hunter not only tells the tales, but he gives his own personal accounts of visiting these areas, cities, and lands of today to help us actually visualize the environment through his vivid descriptions.
A dance called America is a must for anyone interested in Scottish history and the Scots impact on the world. My Grandmother was a McDonald and this book helps me to understand her pride in being of Scottish blood and passing that pride and understanding to me. Thank you Mr. Hunter.
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SofTec Solutions
Good shipping - Very detailed book.
Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 2017
Lesley
Great efficient service.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2021Amazon Customer WJM
Highland influence in North America.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2017