Constituting A Nation: Scots and 1776

A panel featuring Geoffrey Gorham, Deborah Cohn and Maeve Callan, chaired by Frank Cogliano, to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. A number of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were Scottish emigrants or descended from Scots, but Scots also formed a large part of Britain’s army in the Revolutionary War. From Cadwallader Colden, one of the last British governors of New York – and an Edinburgh graduate – to medieval Scottish identity’s ongoing echoes in the 19th-century American confederacy, Scotland was bound up tightly with the establishment of the new American state. This event explores the interplay between the two nations, and asks, how interdependent are the U.S.A. and other countries’ nation-building efforts?

This event is part of the Making A Nation series for 2025-26: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/making-nation-series-2026

This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Accessibility:

This event will take place at IASH, 2 Hope Park Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9NW. Please see a map here: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/location

The Seminar Room is on the first floor, and unfortunately IASH does not have a lift. If you have mobility issues and would like to discuss access, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

The event will also be streamed online via Teams Webinar. To attend virtually, please click here.

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Host or Publisher Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities