African-Americans

It would be historically inaccurate to give the impression that the Scotch-Irish were uniformly hostile to slavery. Many of them did own slaves, even those who felt uncomfortable about it. However, many others were involved in anti-slavery movements and took a strong stand against the evils of slavery.

Covenanters and anti-slavery

The Reformed Presbyterian Church (the Covenanters), which was largely drawn from Scotch-Irish immigrants, maintained a consistent line that no slaveholder could be a member of the denomination. Many members of this Church were involved in the Underground Railroad which helped runaway slaves escape to Canada. One historian has written, ‘Scotch Covenanters … did not exclude the negro from the bonds of Christian brotherhood’.

William King

From Limavady, County Londonderry, William King emigrated to America as a young man and eventually settled in Louisiana. Though he grew increasingly to abhor slavery, he himself owned a number of slaves and came into possession of several more on the death of his father-in-law. In 1848, he took these slaves to Ohio and set them free. A year later he established the Elgin settlement in Canada for former slaves.