The Company that Broke a Nation: Scotland and the Darien Scheme

Content of Course

1. God and Mammon: Scotland at the end of the seventeenth century.

2. A global perspective: the growth of world trade and overseas empires.

3. The Darien Scheme is hatched: the Company of Scotland and the vision of William Paterson.

4. The Darien Scheme unfolds: the expeditions to Panama and the failure of the project.

5. Aftermath: the road to the Act of Union.

Teaching method(s)

Lecture and facilitated discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Assess the objectives of the Darien Scheme within the context of world trade and European colonisation of the ‘New World’ during the seventeenth century and earlier;

• Understand the challenges the project faced and why it ultimately failed;

• Discuss the role the Darien Scheme played in the events that led to the Union of 1707.

Sources

Core Readings

• Nat Edwards, 2007. Caledonia’s Last Stand: in search of the lost Scots of Darien, Glasgow: Bell and Bain.

• John Prebble, 2000. Darien: the Scottish Dream of Empire. Edinburgh: Birlinn.

• Douglas Watt, 2007. The Price of Scotland: Darien, Union and the Wealth of Nations, King’s Lynn: Biddles.

Class Handouts

Lecture notes for each session.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.