The Significance of Three Words

There is little doubt three words that rouse the hearts of Scots is at the heart of the referendum for independence from London. The three words, but for freedom, incorporated in a petition for Scotland's right to freedom and self-determination, have been part of the Scottish psyche for centuries. End Quote

New York, NY (1888PressRelease) September 18, 2014 - There are three words that rouse the hearts of Scots: but for freedom. Those three words are in the Declaration of Arbroath, a petition signed by Robert the Bruce and his Lords in 1320 after beating the English at Bannockburn in 1314. Directed to the Pope to intercede with the English, the language appeals for Scotland to be left alone. Translated from Latin an excerpt reads … 'it is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honors that we fight, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself' … a national cry for the right to freedom and the right to defend freedom after centuries of English kings scheming to conquer and subdue their neighbor to the north.

Elizabeth Rodger has taken those three words as the title for her novel BUT FOR FREEDOM - Across the Sea Beyond Sky, and the sequel BUT FOR FREEDOM - A Rebellious Echo of the White Cockade, historical fiction based on the history of Scotland and Virginia, and covering a dark period in the rancorous relationship between Scotland, the American colonies, and London. In 1707, the Scottish nobility ceded with economic enticements to a Union of the Parliaments with much rioting in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Decades later, the effort of Bonnie Prince Charlie to reclaim the throne was lost when his Highland army was routed by a much superior English force at Culloden. Orders from London to 'give no quarter' had the English force scouring the countryside, and the ensuing destruction obliterated a culture. With no economic future, many Highlanders herded on disease-ridden boats, indenturing themselves for years as payment for passage.

The storyline follows the MacKenzie family after the torching of their home, their forced emigration to the 'New World', and their eventual prospering in the culture of Virginia. Both sons attended William and Mary where the youngest befriended Thomas Jefferson.

The religious reformation to Presbyterianism that stressed the need for every Scot to have the ability to read the bible brought universal education and the highest literacy in Europe. Consequently, a well-educated middle class emerged. However, with the moneyed elite ensconced in the fashionable life of London, patronage was denied many academicians. Consequently, diminutive Scotland, the poorest yet most literate country in Europe, had great influence in the American colonies with the influx of academicians from its shores. One such educator was the young William Small, Professor of Philosophy at William and Mary, a disciple of the Enlightenment. One young mind that became captivated with his egalitarian concept was Thomas Jefferson as revealed in the Declaration of Independence, a rousing affirmation of natural rights to self-determination and freedom.

BUT FOR FREEDOM-Across the Sea Beyond Sky and the sequel, A Rebellious Echo of the White Cockade are ebooks available on www.lillibettbooks.com/BigKids or directly from Amazon Kindle.

http://www.lillibettbooks.com

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