Issue 3 - Impact of Scots emigrants on the Empire

Question 1

Which countries did Scotland have a significant impact on?

Answer 1

Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India.

Question 2

How did Scots have a profound impact on the Canadian fur trade? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 2

Hudson’s Bay Company was the biggest fur company, and a lot of its traders were Scottish emigrants, like overseas governor Sir George Simpson

Question 3

How did Scots have an impact on travel and exploration in Canada? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 3

The exploration of safe routes to connect trading posts and settlements which allowed further settlement and exploitation of natural resources. For example, in 1849, Robert Campbell was the first European to explore the North Yokun territory which became important in the logging and gold industries.

Question 4

How did Scots have an impact on agriculture in Canada? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 4

Scottish farmers had seen and worked with technological advancements of the agricultural revolutionand were skilled at making the land productive. This knowledge was used to improve the efficiency of the Canadian farms. The Royal School of Veterinary Medicine at Edinburgh University is one of the oldest schools in the world, helping them improve their livestock.

Question 5

How did Scots have an impact on business in Canada? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 5

Surveys showed that by 1901, 35% of business leaders had Scottish fathers, even though Scots only made up 16% of the population.

Question 6

How did Scots have an impact on banking in Canada? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 6

Scots were heavily involved in banking. For example, John McLean opened and managed a branch of the Bank of Montreal.

Question 7

How did Scots have an impact on railway and travel in Canada? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 7

Some Scots were involved in building the Canadian Pacific Railway, helping to unite the country and improve trade and the transport of goods and raw materials.

Question 8

How did Scots have an impact on universities? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 8

Many Scots used their experience from Scottish universities to establish similar establishments in canada. For example, half of Canadian universities had Scots integrally involved with their creation, like McGill University, founded in 1821 by James McGill.

Question 9

How did Scots have an impact on politics? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 9

Many Scots featured prominently in Canadian politics. For example, the first Canadian prime minister was John A. MacDonald, born in Glasgow.

Question 10

How did Scots have an impact on Military Tradition? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 10

Some early Highland emigrants to Canada were connected to ideas of military service to clan chiefs or were in regiments like the Black Watch. this spilled into canada with kilts, bagpipes, thistles and Scottish flags. For example, the Cameron Highlanders of Ottowa were formed in 1856 and their badge was an image of St. Andrew.

Question 11

How did Scots have an impact on Language? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 11

Early Scots emigrants to Canada spoke gaelic and spread this language in canada. By 1850, Scottish Gaelic was the third most spoken language in the country after French and English.

Question 12

How did Scots have an impact on Place Names? (Canada/Economy and Enterprise )

Answer 12

Scots named many places in Canada after places in Scotland, for example Elgin, St Andrew, Aberdeen, Airdrie, and Montrose.

Question 13

How did Scots have an impact on Alcohol Addiction? (Canada/Native Communities)

Answer 13

Traders for companies like Hudson’s Bay Company used rum to secure trading rights. They supplied locals with copious quantities of alcohol, which was traded for pelts. Once locals became addicted, traders would water down alcohol in order to gain as many pelts as possible. For example, ‘English Brandy’ was simply cheap gin coloured with iodine, demonstrating the lasting impact Scots had was alcohol dependency.

Question 14

How did Scots have an impact on Disease? (Canada/Native Communities)

Answer 14

Diseases like smallpox and measles were brought to Canada by emigrants. Natives had not built up the immunity to such diseases, therefore being quickly infected.

Question 15

How did Scots have an impact on Erosion of Traditional Life? (Canada/Native Communities)

Answer 15

Many Scots traders took ‘country wives’ who they informally ‘married’ while in Canada. These men had families back home in Scotland, and often returned. This left many native women behind, frequently with children.

Question 16

How did Scots have an impact on Conflict? (Canada/Native Communities)

Answer 16

Conflict became common between the Metis people and the Scots due to Scots emigrants pushing the Metis people off their land. For example, this led to the 1885 North West Rebellion, highlighting the growing tensions between Scots and native communities.

Question 17

How did Scots have an impact on Abuse? (Canada/Native Communities)

Answer 17

Glasgow born PM John. A MacDonald was instrumental in creating a system of boarding schools designed to assimilate native children into the changing Canadian society. Many of these children were subject to sexual and physical abuse. Another negative impacy of Scots on Canada.

Question 18

What impact did Scots have on Farming? (Australia/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 18

Scots took advantage of grants to set up farms in Australia and by 1830 there were around 190 Scottish settlers on the island. For example, Van Dieman’s Land, now Tasmania.

Question 19

What impact did Scots have on The Gold Rush? (Australia/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 19

In 1851, significant gold deposits were discovered in New South Wales. Around 500,000 ‘diggers’ rushed into these gold fields in search of the commodity.

Question 20

What impact did Scots have on Mining? (Australia/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 20

Scots impacted mining companies. For example, Scottish Australian Mining Company was founded in 1840 and run by Edinburgh born Robert Archibald.

Question 21

What impact did Scots have on Shipping? (Australia/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 21

Many Scots had good knowledge of the shipping industry as they had worked on the Clyde or on Leith. For example, the Scottish Line was created by Ayr-born Andrew McIlwraith and Malcolm McEarchern who built seven ships by 1887.

Question 22

What impact did Scots have on Whaling? (Australia/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 22

Scots strove to find profitable raw materials and found profit in the whaling industry. For example, Robert Campbell overcame the East India’s Company Monopoly on whale oil and sea skin.

Question 23

What impact did Scots have on Father of Australia? (Australia/Culture and Religion)

Answer 23

Scots were also the first to refer to ‘Australia’ in official letters, rather than simply a specific penal colony. Lachlan Macquire boasted that he ‘found Australia a jail and left it a colony’.

Question 24

What impact did Scots have on Presbyterian Churches? (Australia/Culture and Religion)

Answer 24

Many Scots were from a Presbyterian background and helped establish churches and spread their religion in Australia. For example, a Scot, Adam Thomson, became principle of St Andrews College and the University of Sydney, which trained ministers.

Question 25

What impact did Scots have on Universities? (Australia/Culture and Religion)

Answer 25

Many Scots held important roles in Australia's universities and therefore were influential. For example the first professors of medicine, geology, philosophy, modern literature, education, economics, zoology, veterinary science and agriculture at the university were Scots.

Question 26

What impact did Scots have on Medical Education? (Australia/Culture and Religion)

Answer 26

The medical at the University of Sydney was founded by the Edinburgh Graduates including Dumfries born Sir Thomas Stuart.

Question 27

What impact did Scots have on Australian Sport? (Australia/Culture and Religion)

Answer 27

Golf was pioneered by the Scots and one of the first places used, in 1839 was Grose Farm in Sydney. Scots' golfer Scot Alexander Brodie Spark played. The first club in Sydney was founded in 1855 by John Dunsmore, who brought equipment from St Andrews.

Question 28

What impact did Scots have on Land Clearances? (Australia/Native Communities)

Answer 28

Many Scots wanted to buy and expand their land, and went to extreme measures to do so. For example, Donald MacLeod from Skye bought land near Sydney and Port Philip, fighting devastating battles with the Aboriginal people. He murdered enough people to wipe out entire tribes.

Question 29

What impact did Scots have on Racism and Violence? (Australia/Native Communities)

Answer 29

Some Scots were extremely racist and used these views to justify violence.

Question 30

What impact did Scots have on Death? (Australia/Native Communities)

Answer 30

Scottish racism and expansionism resulted in large scale deaths among native communities. During the clashes between native and emigrant communities it is estimated that 2,500 Europeans and 20,000 Aborginal people were killed. Scottish soldiers played a significant role, for example the 'Highland Brigade' killed over 100 men, women and children in a raid of Warrigal creek in 1843.

Question 31

What impact did Scots have on Commerce and Printing? (New Zealand/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 31

For example, 25.1% of Scots went on to become business leaders, and John Logan Campbell and William Brown were the founding fathers of Auckland's business community.

Question 32

What impact did Scots have on Gold? (New Zealand/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 32

During the Gold Rush of the 1860s, Gold was discovered in the Otago region, and thousands of Scottish emigrants moved in significant numbers, leading to high percentage of miners in New Zealand being Scottish.

Question 33

What impact did Scots have on Agriculture? (New Zealand/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 33

Wool was a valuable product, and Scots were very involved in sheep farming. For example, 50% of farmers owning more than 40 hectares were Scottish and 40% of those owning more than 4000 hectares were too.

Question 34

What impact did Scots have on Textiles? (New Zealand/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 34

Scots used their experience of mills to grow the New Zealand textile industry. For example John Ross and Robert Glendinning founded a company that dominated the textile industry in Otago.

Question 35

What impact did Scots have on Ship Building? (New Zealand/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 35

Many Scots were heavily involved in the ship building industry, for example Henry Nicol, who developed a successful ship building country in Auckland, building more than 180 ships.

Question 36

What impact did Scots have on Political Life? (New Zealand/Culture and Religion)

Answer 36

For example, the first colonial secretary in the 1840s was Andrew Sinclair, a Scots emigrant from Paisley.

Question 37

What impact did Scots have on Early Settlers? (New Zealand/Culture and Religion)

Answer 37

For example, Presbyterian Scots helped to set up the town of Dunedin (Gaelic for Edinburgh). George Rennie founded the city of Otago in 1842.

Question 38

What impact did Scots have on Universities? (New Zealand/Culture and Religion)

Answer 38

Scots were heavily involved in the founding of universities. For example, the first university in New Zealand was the University of Otago which was founded in 1869 by the Scots Thomas Burns and James Macandrew.

Question 39

What impact did Scots have on Schools Systems? (New Zealand/Culture and Religion)

Answer 39

The country introduced free, compulsory education in 1877, along the lines of the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act. This created a central education system.

Question 40

What impact did Scots have on Traditions? (New Zealand/Culture and Religion)

Answer 40

Scots took traditions like golf, Highland Games, and Burns societies to New Zealand, for example the first Burns club was reportedly founded in 1891 in Dunedin.

Question 41

What impact did Scots have on Land Clearances? (New Zealand/Native Communities)

Answer 41

Scots were active in forcing native Maori people from their land, for example they used the Treaty of Waitangi (1840) to fomalise UK sovereignty over New Zealand.

Question 42

What impact did Scots have on Trading Companies? (India/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 42

Scots played a significant role in trade operations in India, for example Andrew Yule founded Yule and Company Limited which dealt in jute, cotton, coal and tea.

Question 43

What impact did Scots have on Tea? (India/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 43

For example, Scots Robert Bruch established one of the first tea plantations in 1826, and by 1839 his business was competing with the Chinese tea market.

Question 44

What impact did Scots have on Jute? (India/Economy and Enterprise)

Answer 44

Production of Jute was important and the centre of the industry moved from Dundee to India. Many who had worked in the Jute mills in Dundee moved with it. Over 1000 Scottish jute workers lived in India by 1914.

Question 45

What impact did Scots have on Infrastructure? (India/Culture and Religion)

Answer 45

Scots were active in shaping the infrastructure of India,for example James Andrew Broun-Ramsay committed to developing the rail network, electric telegraph and uniform postage.

Question 46

What impact did Scots have on Military? (India/Culture and Religion)

Answer 46

Even though Scots made up only 10% of the British population, they accounted for 47% of emigrants to India, 49% of the officer cadets. 7/14 regiments stationed in India were raised in Scotland, totally nearly 5000 men.

Question 47

What impact did Scots have on Education? (India/Culture and Religion)

Answer 47

Scots helped establish many schools and universities in India, for example the University of Calcutta in 1857.

Question 48

What impact did Scots have on the Spread of Christianity? (India/Culture and Religion)

Answer 48

Scots emigrants attempted to spread Christianity in India. Many moved under the support of the Church of Scotland, with the aim of increasing the reach of Christianity. For example, John Wilson moved to India in 1828 and spent time and money establishing Christian schools.

Question 49

What impact did Scots have on Banning Traditions? (India/Native Communities)

Answer 49

Scots banned traditions like Suttee, with John Malcolm being particularly involved in the ban.

Question 50

What impact did Scots have on Colonial Expansion? (India/Native Communities)

Answer 50

The annexation of Oudh in 1856 is an example of the ruthlessness in which the Scots took land under their control and the control of the East India Company.

Question 51

What impact did Scots have on Rebellion? (India/Native Communities)

Answer 51

There were many rebellions across India, highlighting the resentment felt towards Scots. For example, the First War of Independence in 1857 when Indian forces rose up against the East India Company Rule.