Before 1650, only a few hundred Scots had trickled into the American colonies. However, by the early 1770s the number had risen to 10,000 per year and would reach a total of around 150,000 by 1785. Who were these Scots? What did they do? Where did they settle? What factors motivated their emigration? David Dobson's work draws on original research on both sides of the Atlantic to comprehensively identify the Scottish contribution to the early settlement of North America.