Heritage - Information and Online Resources Wilderness Road -
Virginia's Heritage Migration Route Germans in Virginia
(www.Virginia.org) The reasons for the Scots-Irish immigration
to the colonies can be found by tracing the history of the
Presbyterian Church. The conflict between Protestantism and
Catholicism, and financial hardships in Scotland for farmers
pushed many to flee to Ulster, Ireland. As that pattern
continued, the religious and social tension between the Irish
and the immigrant Scots grew to the point that the better life
the Scots were seeking was not to be found. When the word of the
lands available in America began to spread, sometimes entire
congregations of these “Scots-Irish” emigrants would leave
together to travel to America. Ulster was a British colony, the
same as America, and although the Scots-Irish did not like the
British rule, the difference in proximity meant less controlling
rule. Additionally, there was no language barrier, and no
emigration restrictions. When developers began