History of National Tartan Day

By their contributions to industry, education, the arts and sciences, as well as many other areas of human endeavor; Americans of Scottish descent played a vital role in the development of this country. To officially acknowledge that influence, the U.S. Senate passed a single-year Resolution that appeared in the Congressional Record of April 7, 1997.

In 1998, National Tartan Day was created on a permanent basis when the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 155 recognizing April 6th as National Tartan Day. This was followed by House Resolution 41 which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 9, 2005.

The Presidential Proclamation signed by President George W. Bush made April 6, 2008 a National Holiday Observance that year. Scottish Americans will continue to petition for a permanent Tartan Day proclamation making every April 6th, similar to Flag Day, thus placing National Tartan Day on the official United States of America calendar.

April 6 commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, which asserted Scotland's sovereignty over English territorial claims. It was 1328 before King Edward II was forced to accept Scotland's independence. That independence lasted 379 years, until the "Acts of Union" in 1707, under the auspices of England's Queen Anne, created the United Kingdom.

Our founding fathers modeled the American Declaration of Independence on the Arbroath document. Also significant is the fact that nearly half of the signatories of the American declaration had Scottish roots; and of the 13 original United States, 9 had governors with Scottish ancestry.

Tartan Day in Idaho

In 2006, Idaho State Senator Joyce Broadsword sponsored a measure declaring National Tartan Day to be an officially recognized observance in Idaho. Idaho Senate Resolution 107 was adopted on March 7 of that year.

"The purpose of this resolution is to recognize April 6, as Tartan Day in Idaho. The U.S. Senate adopted a similar resolution in 1998 naming April 6th National Tartan Day. The contribution of the immigrant Scots upon North America is massive and these people have remained proud of their heritage. Many of Idaho's pioneers were of Scottish decent and their families still make Idaho their home. This resolution acknowledges their impact and importance and honors that heritage."