'That famous manifesto': The Declaration of Arbroath, Declaration of Independence, and the power of language

Harrison, L. S. (2017) 'That famous manifesto': The Declaration of Arbroath, Declaration of Independence, and the power of language. Scottish Affairs, 26(4), pp. 435-459. (doi: 10.3366/scot.2017.0209)

Abstract

In 2012 Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, told the Scottish Parliament: ‘The signing of the Declaration of Arbroath at the [Arbroath] Abbey and the American Declaration of Independence might be separated by more than 450 years, but the connection between those documents and therefore our two nations is beyond challenge.’ In order to promote American tourism in Scotland, Dey was calling to emphasise a popular notion that the idea of the sovereignty of the people, enshrined in the Declaration of Arbroath, heavily influenced the writing of the American Declaration of Independence. There is a significant amount of scholarship denying any link between these documents, yet this association is constantly referenced on both sides of the Atlantic. This article is not concerned with once again proving this association incorrect, but rather considering where it may have come from and why it continues to be propagated despite being categorically untrue. By examining the naming practices of the Declaration of Arbroath in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this article will show that the connection between the documents likely stems from an issue of terminology.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Harrison, Dr Laura
• Authors: Harrison, L. S.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Journal Name: Scottish Affairs
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• ISSN: 0966-0356
• ISSN (Online): 2053-888X
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 Edinburgh University Press
• First Published: First published in Scottish Affairs 26(4):435-459
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher