A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada [Paperback]

James Hunter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

This is an account of what happened to the thousands of people who left the Scottish Highlands to make a new life in the United States and Canada. The book evaluates the impact of people from the Highlands on the New World. It is the story of how soldiers, explorers, fur traders, lumberjacks, guerilla fighters, railway builders, and pioneer settlers from the northern part of Scotland contributed to the United States and Canada.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Hunter is the author of a number of books on Scottish history, including Culloden and the Last Clansman, Scottish Exodus and Skye: The Island. He lives in Beauly, Inverness-shire. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851588078
• ISBN-13: 978-1851588077
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book on a crucial period of Scottish history, October 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada (Paperback)

Anyone who is a Scot or has a Scottish background will be fascinated by this book. Meticulously researched, it describes the harrowing lives of the many Scots folks who emigrated to the US and Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries.

We were shocked to learn that some Scottish emigrants had become slave owners, while others with few belongings and no means were left stranded on remote points of the Canadian coastline in the middle of winter.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How and Why did all those Scots get to North America?, February 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada (Paperback)

Everyone has heard about the potato famines that drove the many Irish immigrants to North America, but what about their celtic sisters and brothers in Scotland? Was it the clearances or was it the disasterous battle at Culloden in 1745? Hunter's book looks not only at the myriad of issues that emptied the highlands, but also at how the Scotts got to North American and what happened to them when they got there. Hunter explains not only the economic factors in Scotland, but also the brutal conditions that many Scots endured during their passage to Canada and the United States. He looks at the political issues in Scotland, England, Canada and the United State. He examines how they survived and why what they did often depended on when and where they landed. Early emmigrants tended to have money whereas those coming later had next to nothing. Hunter tells you about the businesses that they started, the communities that they built and the leadership that they provide even today to new continent. A Dance Called America opens your eyes to a group of people rarely considered when examining the settlement of North America. While anyone interested in history will enjoy this book, those of Scottish descent will find it particularly interesting

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book on the Scots coming to North America, June 11, 2001

By 

Bruce MacMillan (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada (Paperback)

James Hunter has written a great book on Scottish immigration to North America. He strikes a very good balance between Scottish events that determined why people emmigrated, and the different experiences of these gaelic pioneers.

Different periods of emmigration and settlements of Scottish immigrants are covered. The research is very detailed but thankfully doesn't result in statistics which will bore you. Rather Hunter concentrates on the actual experiences of notable settlers and explorers. It's a descriptive account that brings the period alive. I found the description of the quarantine station at Grosse Ile and Cholera Bay to be particularly moving.

This book is more than a chronicle of the hardships, challenges and frustrations that these early settlers had to endure. It reminds us of their achievements and significant contributions. You can appreciate them that much more knowing of their suffererings in a tough, new land.

I'd be giving this book five stars, but I would have liked some maps and I found the chapter on Craigellachie to wander a little bit. But this is still a wonderful book. If you're interested in Scotland or have any Scottish ancestors, add this book to your collection.