The Mark of Scottish America: Heritage Identity and the Tartan Monster

Abstract

On 20 March 1998, the United States Senate unanimously adopted Resolution 155, declaring 6 April of each year National Tartan Day to celebrate the contribution of Scots in America over the centuries. Proposed by a Republican Majority Leader of Scottish descent, Trent Lott, and intended to establish the relationship between the two nations, the document harks back to Scotland’s revered 1320 statement of national independence, the Declaration of Arbroath: “the American Declaration of Independence was modeled on that inspirational document … Scottish Americans successfully helped shape this country in its formative years and guided this Nation throughout its most troubled times.” More than simply a pluralist call for the recognition of an ethnic culture in America, the document constructs a vision of shared national origins.