While some Scottish emigrants were able to build successful new lives abroad between 1830-1939, many others faced significant difficulties and problems. These problems included business failures, unemployment, poor quality land that was difficult to farm, loneliness and isolation, conflicts with native peoples over land and resources that sometimes led to violence, poor weather conditions, difficult journeys, and broken promises of higher wages. Reasons for these struggles included competition, different climates than Scotland, a lack of infrastructure and communities in remote areas, and tensions with native groups over holy sites and traditional hunting grounds.

1. 1830-1939

2. Many emigrant Scots built a positive new life abroad, but others
found that they continued to face problems.

3. Those emigrant Scots that
faced difficulties abroad did so
for reasons such as:
• Business problems
• Unemployment
• Poor quality land
• Loneliness
• Fights with natives
• Difficult journeys
• Weather problems

4. Many Scots became very
economically successful by
setting up businesses.
However not all Scottish
businesses succeeded. Some
of these companies collapsed,
often due to competition,
and so the Scots became poor
as a result of business failure.

5. Some businesses even
involved extreme violence.
The fur trade in Canada saw
Scottish companies,
competing with natives and
other countries’ emigrants.
This competition sometimes
ended in battles as they
fought over access to land and
animals.

6. Other economic problems
also existed for Scots.
Many of them faced
unemployment because there
was no job for them in their
new home, or the job they had
ended. Others found the
higher wages they were
promised did not actually
happen.

7. Many Scots also found that
the free or cheap land they
bought in places like Canada
or Australia was poor quality.
This made it very difficult to
farm and grow things on,
especially if it was in a
different climate than they
were used to in Scotland.

8. Some Scots had left the
Highlands because of
loneliness and isolation – but
that often continued when
moving abroad.
Scottish settlers often found
their free or cheap land was in
the wilderness, and they
lacked basic facilities or
communities.

9. When moving abroad, Scots
often took land from native
people, including those used
as Holy sites.
This inevitably led to conflict
and war between the groups,
so some Scots were killed or
injured in these clashes.

10. Other Scots found poor links
with native people caused
problems when it came to
farming.
Some Scots set up farms on
land that native people used
for hunting, so some natives
that began to steal the Scots’
farm animals.

11. Some Scots found the journey
in their new homes to be very
difficult.
Scots travelling west across
the USA (especially during the
Gold Rush) found lack of
established roads very
difficult, and many people
starved or ran out of water
during their travels.

12. The weather also created
problems for many emigrant
Scots.
In parts of Canada they faced
often freezing winters, where
they struggled to keep warm
and find food. The extreme
heat of the USA and Australia
was also hard.