What if the American Revolution failed?

[Dauphin]

If the American revolt failed, there may not have been Napoleonic wars.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Ramo
The UK would eventually move its capitol to New York (or Philidelphia, etc.).

I thought the centre of government was already moved to Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Ned]

If there was no American Revolution, there may have been no large-scale immigration by the Irish, Italians or other Europeans, let alone the Chinese. Immigration may have been limited primarily to the English.

[Az]

OMG, I am just playing a game of colonization, and guess what? I am not doing so good. Figures.

[Bereta_Eder]

well it didnt so you can thank the french again

[Az]

yes it did and the french will join my side if I accumulate something like 5000 Liberty bells. This is ****ing impossible.

[Kepler]

I think there's a good chance that if the Revolution didn't occur when it did the eventual countries that came to occupy North America would be very different.

Just think for example of what happens if the Brits make significant concessions to the colonists in '73 and '74. The generation of great American statesmen is thus coopted into the Brit camp (the colonial governors Jefferson and Hamilton eventually hang Adams for treason). A politically conservative America watches the French Revolution in horror and draws even closer to Britain.

Perhaps the you get a Civil War of the American South against the Northeast and Britain, and as the South is crushed the North imposes Reconstruction on the South as a condition for being readmitted to the Commonwealth -- something without which the South would merely become a vast, underdeveloped, rural wasteland.

[Bereta_Eder]

Only have one port city. You will win every time

Defend it with everything you have and be focused on one port city. That way you won;t stretch your army AT ALL

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by Ned
If there was no American Revolution, there may have been no large-scale immigration by the Irish, Italians or other Europeans, let alone the Chinese. Immigration may have been limited primarily to the English.

I don't think that's necessarily true. Are you assuming that there would never be an independent country (or countries) from the British colonies? I mean, Canada gained its independence in 1867 and we've had waves of immigration nearly on par (on a per capita basis) as those of the US.

[Kramerman]

Well, if a USA would have been formed eventually, either by later revolution or by peaceful seccession, it would be much, much different, most likely not a world power. America would probably resemble Canada very closely, in population and society, as, while under British control for an extended period, mass open-door imigration would not have happened. Depending on when the US finally comes into being, it would probably only stretch from the Atlantic to the Mississippi; the lousianna purchase not coming into its possession, nor the significant land gains made in the Mexican-American war.

History, no matter how the US turns out at a later date, would definately be much, much different. The effect the US has had on the world has been immense, and by changing America you are changing that effect.

Kman

[JohnT]

I'm surprised that Stefu hasn't been here to recommend this book, which is a 1990-ish college history textbook set in a world in which the British won the Battle of Saratoga.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Can I play?

1. Slavery in North America would have been abolished earlier

2. Texas would be an independent nation

3. Without a US to sell it to, Napoleon would have kept Louisiana; without the financing that the Louisiana Purchase provided him, his warmongering in Europe would have been curtailed (but I'm not sure what that means; it's been years since I've known that history well)

4. In all likelihood, no on would ever have heard of Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or Henry David Thoreau

BTW, thanks for the book rec JohnT; it looks interesting.

[Gatekeeper]

If the American Revolution had failed, we'd all be speaking English right now, dammit!

Gatekeeper

[TheBirdMan]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
Can I play?


2. Texas would be an independent nation

And Mr. Bush president of Texas and not The US.

[Stefu]

I'm surprised that Stefu hasn't been here to recommend this book, which is a 1990-ish college history textbook set in a world in which the British won the Battle of Saratoga.

I meant to, but then I sort of forgot about it.