Posted on 04/04/2008 6:36:30 PM PDT by mdittmar
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
Americans of Scottish descent have made enduring contributions to our Nation with their hard work, faith, and values. On National Tartan Day, we celebrate the spirit and character of Scottish Americans and recognize their many contributions to our culture and our way of life.
Scotland and the United States have long shared ties of family and friendship, and many of our country's most cherished customs and ideals first grew to maturity on Scotland's soil. The Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence signed in 1320, embodied the Scots' strong dedication to liberty, and the Scots brought that tradition of freedom with them to the New World. Sons and daughters of many Scottish clans were among the first immigrants to settle in America, and their determination and optimism helped build our Nation's character. Several of our Founding Fathers were of Scottish descent, as have been many Presidents and Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Many Scottish Americans, such as Andrew Carnegie, were great philanthropists, founding and supporting numerous scientific, educational, and civic institutions. From the evocative sounds of the bagpipes to the great sport of golf, the Scots have also left an indelible mark on American culture.
National Tartan Day is an opportunity to celebrate all Americans who claim Scottish ancestry, and we are especially grateful for the service in our Armed Forces of Scottish Americans who have answered the call to protect our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 6, 2008, as National Tartan Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day by celebrating the continued friendship between the people of Scotland and the United States and by recognizing the contributions of Scottish Americans to our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
GEORGE W. BUSH
I've looked and looked, and have come to believe that there is no such thing as affordable tartan fabric. That stuff is REALLY expensive on a per-yard basis. The Scottish Shop in Alexandria Virginia has the fabrics for just about every clan and also has a website where you can see many fabric samples. I just don't think this can be done in a way that is inexpensive but won't get you laughed at.
Thanks for the info! I’m in Utah so I’ll have to keep looking.
You ought to strathspey over to the Celtic Croft
I miss them.
For what is a tartan without a piper in it?
A tartan wi'oot a piper is toom.
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Went native. *\;-)
I have gained a greater sense of my place in the world as I've learned the history of my people. I'm of mostly Scotch-Irish descent and am also an American (first and foremost). However, being an American does not negate my proud recognition of my ancestors and their contribution to the making of America. In fact, the American Revolution was often referred to as the “Presbyterian Uprising” by the Brits because so many Scotch-Irish or Ulster Scots were standing against them.
The Gibson clan here!
History question guys, I read somewhere that after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion, Culloden and the brutal Highland Clearances, the banning of the tartan, etc., was so efficient that in the 1860’s, after Queen Victoria and her “Highland Journals” made Scotland hip again, all but a handful of the clan tartans had to be recreated from scratch as there was nothing left to tell anyone what they looked like.
I do not know the history you just sited but it makes sense because when you research tartan plaids you sometimes see two: one historical one modern and then there are others that say close recreations or modern speculation.
"The world's first colour photograph, made by the Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell in 1861, was of a tartan ribbon."
According to Wikipedia, the tartans were revived long before Victoria:
“Efforts to pacify the Highlands led to the 1746 Dress Act banning tartans with exemptions for the military and the gentry. Soon after the Act was repealed in 1782 Highland Societies of landowners were promoting “the general use of the ancient Highland dress”. William Wilson & Sons of Bannockburn became the foremost weaving manufacturer around 1770 as suppliers of tartan to the military. Wilson corresponded with his agents in the highlands to get information and samples of cloth from the clan districts to enable him to reproduce “perfectly genuine patterns” and recorded over 200 setts by 1822, many of which were tentatively named. The Cockburn Collection of named samples made by Wilsons was put together between 1810 and 1820 and is now in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the “Robin Hood” tartan.
By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival inspired by James Macpherson’s Ossian poems and the writings of Walter Scott led to wider interest, with clubs like the Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. The pageantry invented for the 1822 visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the national dress of the whole of Scotland, with the invention of many new clan tartans to suit.”
Interesting passage, it gives the impression that Highland clan tartans were never really all that cut-and-dried to begin with.
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