It was the Scots-Irish who Shaped America. Well documented in the book Born Fighting. They had rugged individualism, and a warrior culture (the “kind of people who would die in place rather than retreat”) and an instinctive mistrust of authority, and created an American culture that mirrors these traits. It was George Washington who said while at Valley Forge, “If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scots-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to British tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger.
The Scots-Irish came here in droves after 1700 (maybe slightly before) because Church of England was not too fond of Presbyterians-—though they were treated far better than Irish Catholics.
I imagined a deep Scottish accent when I read this post. I had just watched the interview of John Smeaton, one of the men who assisted the police officer during the Scottish terrorist attack.