Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity. Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into the Scottish National Movement in the 1920s maturing by the 1970s and achieved present ideological maturity in the 1980s and 1990s. The nation's origin, political context and unique characteristics including the Gaelic language, poetry and film maintains an individual's distinct identification and support of Scotland. Origins Scottish Nationalism, the concept of Scotland as an individual Nation state became prominent within Scotland in the Middle Ages. During the Anglo-Scottish Wars, the campaign led by Scotland was to obtain Scottish independence as a separate sovereign state. The campaign was successful, and following the Declaration of Arbroath, a formal letter sent to Pope John XXII, Scotland, and the nation's individual identity were officially recognised as sovereign in 1328. Scotland proceeded to operate as an independent nation state until the Acts of Union which merged both the Parliaments and Kingdoms of Scotland and England in 1707 to be "united into one Kingdom of Great Britain", a united state retaining separate legal system, however a distinct Scottish institution continue to exist. Language Scottish Gaelic, also known as the founding language of Scotland is currently the oldest Scottish language still in use today. The History of Scottish Gaelic itself has been through a tremendous legacy of turmoil, from Scots nobles learning only English as a first language as far back as the 13th century, the implementation of the Statutes of Iona in 1609 forcing Scots nobles to learn English, or the 1616 Education Act implemented by the Scottish Privy Council which declared that no heir of a Gaelic chief could inherit unless he could write, read and speak English Around ten such Acts were raised between 1494 and 1698, passed by the Scots Parliament to make English the first language, Gaelic had struggled to retain a foothold over Scotland. As Scotland and Great Britain were united under the Acts of Union 1707, Gaelic lost its legitimacy as a legal and administrative language. Gaelic did however continued to gain importance as the language of the Highland clans, and the language of the Jacobite's. Prior to the Education (Scotland) Act 1872, the Act of Proscription 1746 was implemented to assimilate Highland Scots into Lowland & British culture. Following the Government victory over the