Ever since they first set foot in the new world alongside the Viking explorers the Scots have left their mark. In this entertaining and informative book, historian Michael Fry shows how Americans of Scottish heritage helped shape this country, from its founding days to the present. They were courageous pioneers, history-changing revolutionaries, great Presidents, doughty fighters, inspiring writers, learned teachers, intrepid explorers, daring frontiersmen, and of course buccaneering businessmen, media moguls, and capitalists throughout American history. The Scots' unflappable spirit and hardy disposition helped them take root among the earliest settlements and become some of the British colonies' foremost traders. During the Revolution, the teachings of the great Scottish philosophers and economists would help to shape the democracy that thrived in America as in no other part of the world. America may have separated from the British Empire, but the Scottish influence on the young continent never left. Armed with an inimitable range of historical knowledge, Fry charts the exchange of ideas and values between the Scotland and America that led to many of the greatest achievements in business, science, and the arts. Finally, he takes readers into the twentieth century, in which the Scots serve as the ideal example of a people that have embraced globalization without losing their sense of history, culture and national identity. Scottish Americans have been incomparable innovators in every branch of American society, and their fascinating story is brilliantly captured in this new book by one of Scotland's leading historians. How the Scots Made America is not only a must-read for all those with Scottish ancestry but for anyone interested in knowing the full story behind the roots of the American way of life. Journalist Fry adds his own perspective to the number of recent books about Scots and the rest of the world, especially America. He contrasts the considerable historical and, perhaps more significant, cultural differences between small, ancient Scotland and big, new America. For example, in Scotland change happens very slowly, if at all; it's much easier in America. He points out that while Scots have been said to be restless, that has been true of only a minority--although that minority is the focus of the book. Furthermore, Scottish culture, he suggests, doesn't travel well; Scots have always been expected to conform to their surroundings. So it is remarkable that the heritage of a country the size of South Carolina has made such an impact on the U.S., through figures including revolutionaries (John Witherspoon), presidents (Woodrow Wilson), fighters (John Paul Jones, Douglas MacArthur), writers (Washington Irving, Herman Melville), and entrepreneurs (Andrew Carnegie, Donald Trump). But more than merely listing names, Fry's book draws parallels between Scotland and America that both enlighten and surprise. June Sawyers Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved International praise for Michael Fry: "His range is striking, his breadth of interest amazing." - Times Literary Supplement "In all his prolific writings he brings a historian's depth to journalism and a journalist's popularism to history... frequently magnificent." - Financial Times "He warms to big characters and colorful yarns." - Scotland on Sunday "Charmingly combines journalistic flair with scholarly weight." - The Scotsman "He deserves to knock sleekit metropolitan performers like Simon Schama off the map... Fry, at his best, writes George MacDonald Fraser's kind of pacy narrative, gripping and convincing." - Punch Michael Fry, called "Scotland's most controversial writer" by The Herald , is the author of The Dundas Despotism and The Scottish Empire . He served as Economics Correspondent and Brussels Correspondent for The Scotsman , and for nearly twenty years has been a columnist and contributor to a variety of newspapers throughout Britain, Europe, and America. He has also stood as candidate for both the British and Scottish Parliaments. When not traveling, he lives in Edinburgh.