Founding Greater Appalachia

Sharpe

3/21/2017

Founding Greater Appalachia:

This week, we had to read chapter nine of the book titled "American Nations" by Colin Woodard. This chapter discusses the arrival of Scottish and Irish people arriving to the New World, or what would become the United States, by leaving the United Kingdom. One major reason why Scottish and Irish people left the United Kingdom because "taxes were increased all the same" (pg. 102). It is understandable why the Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived to the New World. They needed to find new ways to gain money to get them out the ever increasing debt for not paying their taxes. This is what helped caused the Americans to declare independence from the United Kingdom, becoming the United States. Similar to the Scottish and Irish, the Americans did not feel like the British Empire helped them out, but was just interested in collecting taxes. As well as not helping, or interested in the lives of their subjects.

Betsy Ross Flag

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_flag_13_stars_%E2%80%93_Betsy_Ross.svg

Another interesting fact that I learn was that "whiskey, which would remain the de facto currency of Appalachia for the next two centuries" (pg. 104). When you think of currency, you will think of paper money, or at least some type of coin system. Even without the currency system, at least having a system of trading. Even by the 1800s and 1900s, you would expect that this region would move from a whiskey currency to the currency of the United States. Any ways, I wonder if people within the region was influenced to moved from whiskey to moonshine?

Moonshine Jar

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: http://moonshinerecipe.org/popcorn-sutton-moonshine/

Another interesting fact that I learned was that the Scottish and Irish immigrants within the American colonies attempted to creating their own country "Transylvania, which was created in direct violation of the Royal Proclamation of 1763" (pg. 110). Which was surprising for me, because it's one of those stories that was forgotten over time. Where a new colony within the New World that was overall disappeared or simply failed. Anyways, I was also surprised that they tried to break a law, the Proclamation of 1763, which forbid them from moving west over the Appalachian Mountains. Which their new country would be settled in.

Location of the Proclamation Line (Proclamation of 1763)

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_territorial_growth_1775.svg

Citation:

Woodard, C. (2011). American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. New York, NY: Penguin Group.