More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose character was formed by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland. Here former U.S. Senator Jim Webb assesses how these rugged, industrious peoples came to—and changed—America, contributing disproportionately to our cultural, military, and presidential histories. With wit and far-ranging curiosity, Webb explores how the Scots-Irish culture of isolation, hard luck, stubbornness, and mistrust of the elite still dominates blue-collar America, the armed forces, the Bible Belt, and country music.