The Courage and Inspiration of the Scots

The Courage and Inspiration of the Scots 

By Lawrence W. Reed

I am an American of Scottish extraction, and few things stir my blood more than the colorful history of my ancestral homeland. Through the centuries, rugged Scots stand tall among those heroes who gave every ounce of their lives for such noble ideals as liberty, independence, and self-reliance.

Mel Gibson’s epic film Braveheart, released 30 years ago in 1995, introduced many non-Scots to one of our greatest heroes, William Wallace. A fierce and uncompromising patriot, Wallace gave English invaders fits for years until his capture on August 5, 1305 (a mere 720 years ago next week).

Young Wallace had emerged early in life as a Scottish warrior of special mettle, leading his countrymen to a smashing victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on September 11, 1297. His courage united Scotland, but 11 months after Stirling, the Scots were outnumbered at Falkirk and dealt a crushing blow. His forces scattered, Wallace took his campaign for independence to the courts of Europe in search of foreign alliances. When he returned to Scotland in 1303, he was the most-wanted fugitive in the British Isles. He was betrayed to England’s King Edward in the summer of 1305.

The evidence is strong that it wasn’t commoners who broke faith with him, but highly placed Scottish officials who sold out to Edward. Before his torture and execution in London, he responded to the charges against him with these words:

I cannot be a traitor, for I owe him no allegiance. He is not my Sovereign; he never received my homage; and whilst life is in this persecuted body, he never shall receive it. To the other points whereof I am accused, I freely confess them all. As Governor of my country I have been an enemy to its enemies; I have slain the English; I have mortally opposed the English King; I have stormed and taken the towns and castles which he unjustly claimed as his own. If I or my soldiers have plundered or done injury to the houses or ministers of religion, I repent me of my sin; but it is not of Edward of England that I shall ask pardon.

Avenging Wallace’s death became a rallying cry in the years thereafter. Edward died in 1307 with Scotland still simmering in revolt. Under Robert the Bruce, the Scots decisively defeated the English forces of Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314. Six years later, a group of Scottish leaders issued the famous Declaration of Arbroath in hopes that the Pope would convince the English to leave Scotland alone.

This declaration proclaimed the revolutionary principle that a king must rule by the consent of the governed, who in turn have a duty to get rid of him if he doesn’t. This was 456 years before the American Declaration of Independence, but America’s Founders knew it well. The Arbroath document includes these stirring words: It is not for honors or glory or wealth that we fight, but for freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.

It should be no surprise that nearly 40 percent of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were of Scottish blood.

When we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary next year, we should remember that so many of our Founders found inspiration in Scotland the Brave.

(Note: I am a member of the board of the Free Society Coalition, which has produced a document designed to stir thought and interest in the ideas that led to America’s founding. Titled “Happy Birthday, Freedom!,” you can read it here.

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(Lawrence W. Reed is President Emeritus, Humphreys Family Senior Fellow, and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty at the Foundation for Economic Education in Atlanta, Georgia. He blogs at www.lawrencewreed.com.)