Highland Clearances

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/highland-clearances

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary period of disruption?1750 to 1860
2. What is the geographic scope?Scottish Highlands and Islands
3. Why did landlords want to replace farms with sheep?Landlords thought that raising sheep for wool would give them higher rents and profits, so they changed the old communal farming system into large sheep farms.
4. What happened to the people who were forced to leave their homes?The people, many of whom spoke Gaelic, were asked to find new jobs like fishing or kelp harvesting, and later many were paid to travel to places such as Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.

Run rig: An archaic system of land tenure and cultivation involving shared strips of land and common grazing.
Crofting: A system of small-scale agricultural landholding, typically in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, often combined with other forms of employment.
Dùthchas: A Gaelic term signifying a deep connection to one's ancestral land and a traditional right to reside upon it.
Assisted Passages: Financial aid provided by landowners to cover the cost of emigration for their tenants.