Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"American" is English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish and Welsh. I think that has been made pretty clear. The English are the core group though.
Most people of Scotch-Irish stock simply refer to themselves as "Irish".
Really? I don't think it's clear at all that that's what "American" means. When I was a kid growing up in a multi-ethnic area of PA, people of all ethnicities talked about becoming "Americanized". Presumably some of them would call themselves American.
Most people of Scotch-Irish descent IME refer to themselves as Scots. They were Scots, who were resettled into Ireland. They were Protestants, Presbyterians mostly.
Really? I don't think it's clear at all that that's what "American" means. When I was a kid growing up in a multi-ethnic area of PA, people of all ethnicities talked about becoming "Americanized". Presumably some of them would call themselves American.
Most people of Scotch-Irish descent IME refer to themselves as Scots. They were Scots, who were resettled into Ireland. They were Protestants, Presbyterians mostly.
My guess is it's those with very long roots in the country and little "white ethnic" heritage. I've only met people who have had part Scotch-Irish, it hasn't seemed that common of an ethnicity.
Most people of Scotch-Irish descent IME refer to themselves as Scots. They were Scots, who were resettled into Ireland. They were Protestants, Presbyterians mostly.
During the colonial period, the Scotch-Irish settled in the southern Appalachian backcountry and in the Carolina piedmont.[16] They became the primary cultural group in these areas, and their descendants were in the vanguard of westward movement through Virginia into Tennessee and Kentucky, and thence into Arkansas, Missouri and Texas. By the 19th century, through intermarriage with settlers of English and German ancestry, the descendants of the Scotch-Irish lost their identification with Ireland. "This generation of pioneers...was a generation of Americans, not of Englishmen or Germans or Scotch-Irish."
Upon arrival in America, the Scotch-Irish at first usually referred to themselves simply as Irish, without the qualifier Scotch. It was not until a century later, following the surge in Irish immigration after the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s, that the descendants of the earlier arrivals began to commonly call themselves Scotch-Irish to distinguish them from the newer, largely destitute and predominantly Roman Catholic immigrants.[11] The two groups had little interaction in America, as the Scotch-Irish had become settled years earlier primarily in the Appalachian region, while the new wave of Irish American families settled primarily in northern and midwestern port cities such as Boston, New York, or Chicago.
"American" is English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish and Welsh. I think that has been made pretty clear. The English are the core group though.
Most people of Scotch-Irish stock simply refer to themselves as "Irish".
That's one nice thing about the rise of "American" ancestry. It's an easier way to distinguish Irish Catholic and Scots-Irish. In 1980, it's pretty clear the majority of "Irish Americans" were Protestant.
In previous censuses, the largest ancestry group identified by Southerners was English or mostly English,with 19,618,370 self-reporting "English" as an ancestry on the 1980 census, followed by 12,709,872 listing "Irish" and 11,054,127 "Afro-American".Almost a third of all Americans who claim English ancestry can be found in the American South, and over a quarter of all Southerners claim English descent as well.
^
This is the region with the greatest amount of people who call themselves "American".
The "Irish" are clearly mostly Scotch-Irish, and they are the descendants of the English and Scottish settlers into Ulster.
53% have some colonial ancestry of mostly colonial ancestry? There might be many that have say 1/8 or 1/16 colonial but most of their heritage is from late 19th century immigrants onwards. [1/8 for me, probably.]
I think it's 53 % who have some colonial ancestry. After 400 years, I think we can hardly find someone who only has colonial ancestors without any recent ancestors from the 19th or 20th century. Maybe in the Deep South or in a small town in Appalachia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana
Really? I don't think it's clear at all that that's what "American" means. When I was a kid growing up in a multi-ethnic area of PA, people of all ethnicities talked about becoming "Americanized". Presumably some of them would call themselves American.
Most people of Scotch-Irish descent IME refer to themselves as Scots. They were Scots, who were resettled into Ireland. They were Protestants, Presbyterians mostly.
IMO Scotch-Irish refer more themselves as Irish rather than Scots. The number of Scots American isn't very high while there is many people who refer themselves as Irish American. About the south, Irish Catholics didn't immigrate in number there except in port cities like New Orleans. In 1980, Irish is the second largest ancestry with an average 17 %. I think many of these people are actually of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
I think it's 53 % who have some colonial ancestry. After 400 years, I think we can hardly find someone who only has colonial ancestors without any recent ancestors from the 19th or 20th century. Maybe in the Deep South or in a small town in Appalachia.
I suspect there may be spots in Northern New England where that's not too rare, but I agree it'd have to be rather isolated.
Quote:
IMO Scotch-Irish refer more themselves as Irish rather than Scots. The number of Scots American isn't very high while there is many people who refer themselves as Irish American. About the south, Irish Catholics didn't immigrate in number there except in port cities like New Orleans. In 1980, Irish is the second largest ancestry with an average 17 %. I think many of these people are actually of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
I'd assume most of those are Irish Catholic, but I may have a regional bias. A lot of these ancestry patterns are strongly regional. Where I grew up (Long Island) it was a good assumption if someone had a German sounding last-name, he/she was Jewish (due to Yiddish). Someone* I knew from rural PA who moved to New York City with German last names got people assuming he was Jewish by his name.
*He might be close to 100% "colonial", but there's probably at least an 1/8, maybe 1/4 from more recent times.
I'd assume most of those are Irish Catholic, but I may have a regional bias. A lot of these ancestry patterns are strongly regional. Where I grew up (Long Island) it was a good assumption if someone had a German sounding last-name, he/she was Jewish (due to Yiddish).
I was watching Season 1 of the West Wing last night. During one scene, this southern Christian fundamentalist makes this quip towards Josh:
"You New York people think you're so smart. You think you're so clever."
Then Toby interjects and clarifies what she really meant by "New York people."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
