During the early part of the 18th century, Houstons had settled in all the American Colonies from New Hampshire to Georgia. When the "shots heard ‘round the world" rang out at Lexington April 19, 1775, the Scotch-Irish Houstons mentioned in earlier chapters had been in America roughly half a century. By this time they were in second and third generations, still living for the most part in their original settlements along the back country, but slowly emerging from their tribal isolation. One of their number, John Huston of Falmouth, Mass., was among the Minute Men at Lexington.

Fate and a series of circumstances delegated to the Scotch-Irish people, the Houstons among them, a leading role in the American move for independence. Quoting from Benn’s "History of Belfast": "The Scots, leaving North Ireland with great resentment . . contributed powerfully to their courage and conduct to separate the American colonists from the British crown."

The Scotch-Irish were the only race or group in sufficient numbers, spread through all the colonies, to make their influence count. As Hanna points out, they alone had a uniform religion and had experienced persecution of church and state that deprived them of civil and religious liberty.

The Scotch-Irish in America numbered 300,000 at the time of the Revolution, according to John Hustcn Finley in "The Coming of the Scot." 1 He adds that "almost to a man" they were for independence. Allied with them were the Congregationalists of New England. Many of the honored patriots of the Revolution were of the Scotch-Irish breed, among them Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. Nine or ten of the first

1 John Huston Finley, The Coming of the Scot (Chas. Scribner’s Sons, New York).