Scotland's Darién Scheme attempted to establish a colony on Panama's Isthmus in 1698 for trade. Poor planning, disease, Spanish opposition, and English non-support led to disaster, with most settlers dying. The financial ruin contributed to Scotland's union with England in 1707.

The failed Darién Scheme of 1698 inspired a wave of Scottish literary reflections on ambition and national identity. Poets and writers of the Enlightenment and Romantic periods, such as Robert Burns, grappled with themes of failure and aspiration, using this historical event to critique the nature of colonial endeavors.