Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Liberty Mountain: The Revolutionary Drama


This play, now entering its fourth season at Kings Mountain in South Carolina, looks excellent. Have a read at this:

“… They took up arms, and many sacrificed their lives, to defend and preserve the freedoms they held dear, and none was more important to them than religious expression.

To understand how crucial this was to the settlers of the Carolinas, you have to go back to their roots in Northern Ireland. Many were Scots-Irish Presbyterians who fled poverty and misery in that land, compounded by religious persecution. The “official” religion of the British Empire in the 1700’s was the Church of England, and those who didn’t swear allegiance to that church were punished, often brutally.

In the American colonies, they saw the opportunity to start a new life, one in which they were free to worship as they pleased. They came here, built homes and farms and churches and raised God-fearing families. But they were still subjects of the British king, and the Crown continued to attempt to thrust the Church of England on them. When British troops occupied the Carolinas and those who were still loyal to the king went on a rampage of murder and mayhem, these Scots-Irish rose up and fought back ..."

And this newspaper article too:

Production is underway for the fourth season of “Liberty Mountain: The Revolutionary Drama” in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The play will run for 17 performances, beginning June 23, at the Joy Performance Center in downtown Kings Mountain.

“Liberty Mountain” tells the story of the settling of the Carolinas by hardy Scots-Irish immigrants who came to America to start new lives, raise families, work and worship, and how they became caught up in the conflict of the struggle for independence from Great Britain.

Their story culminates in the Battle of Kings Mountain in October, 1780, which historians agree was the turning point in the Revolution. In an hour of savage hand-to-hand combat, Patriot militiamen defeated a larger and better-trained force of Loyalists, triggering a series of Patriot victories that led to the British surrender at Yorktown a year later.

“Liberty Mountain” features a cast of more than 30 actors in a fast-moving, action-packed drama. Playwright Robert Inman says, “The talented cast and crew bring our audience a production that is true to history, highly entertaining, and inspiring. Every American should know the story of Kings Mountain and the crucial role it played in granting us the freedoms we enjoy today.”

So why is it that OUR story is not told this well HERE? I am not sure that we can claim that the Ulster-Scots / Scotch-Irish were the sole exponents or exporters of liberty, but our role was hugely important, and has become embedded into the psyche of the USA. 

One of the things that has seemed to bewilder commentators and academics over the decades is the ‘conditional loyalty’ of the (let’s be blunt about it) Ulster Protestants. But when you understand our history, you will see that it has been in our DNA  for, I would suggest, nearly 500 years. I would also suggest that our loyalty has been firstly to liberty - religious and civil - and to the monarch or the nation very much second.

Many left the nation behind, but they took liberty with them, beating in their chests and pumping through their veins.

Find out more here.

 

2 comments:

Darrell said...

Hello! A friend recently pointed me to this article. I have had the honor to play the role of Rev. Walter MacKenzie in 'Liberty Mountain' for the past three seasons (in fact, my voice is the last one heard in the first video segment), and wanted to assure you that we here in the southeastern U.S. know and appreciate the role the Ulster-Scots played in our war for Independence. I, personally, consider it a privilege to bring a voice and a life to the spirit of those hardy folk who stood up proudly and fought bravely to proclaim that liberty was the natural and God-given state to which all men should aspire. Thank you for taking notice of our show, and I sincerely hope that you are able, at some point, to make it over and see for yourself! - Darrell King

Mark Thompson said...

Hi Darrell - how brilliant that you took the time to get in touch! I have been to SC just once, and last summer spent 3 weeks in the Appalachian region but didn't get back to SC again. It has been an important experience for us to see that our kinfolk still honour the memory of our shared ancestors, and what we regard as our shared history. I will try to find an email address for you and will hopefully be in touch directly.