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Today is July 4th, a great day which marks, at least in our collective consicous, America's freedom from tyranny and the birth of our rights. But for a moment, please take your complete understanding of the American way of life, patriotism, and freedom and set it aside. I want to ask what America would be like today had the Colonists not defeated the British in the American Revolution.Would we have eventually been freed from British rule anyway? Through violence, or through diplomacy? Would America have become like Quebec is in Canada, or perhaps volatile like Northern Ireland?Also, how would our culture have changed? Remember, no First Amendment, no Second Amendment, no rights of the accused, and so forth. I think that these parts of our nation's political framework have affected us in such fundamental ways that we would have difficulty trying to figure out how we'd be different. But I'd like to try, so I welcome your opinions.
I think your right about having a hard time figuring out what it would be like. It's so much a part of who we are, almost genetic. But looking at our neighbors to the north and Ireland, it's hard to say. I'd go with Ireland though. Americans are rebellous by nature and unfortunatly I think many of our big cities would be dangerous to walk like Belfast or even to a lesser extent Dublin once was. I hate the thought of that.
Good point, trying to figure out this answer would almost be impossible. You pointed to our natural rebellious nature; I think that this goes hand-in-hand with the religious fervor which bore the Revolution, originating in the Great Awakening. But assuming for a moment that the Revolution did not occur, would America have become more like a commonwealth (think Puerto Rico) than a Northern Ireland? You think that the region would have become volatile under sustained British rule?
Absolutely. We in this country are never satisfied (no matter who's elected half the country is made at the results) We have a system in place that allows us to change things without violence (civil war not withstanding) I believe if we didnt we would be more like Ireland, with no choice but to use violence to make the changes we wanted. But the question is ; would we have ever acheived it?
I think this would be an interesting concept for a TV movie. How would America be different had we lost the war, or if the war never took place? What we do know, however, is that a number of England's other colonies were eventually freed or handed over in sovereignty to other nations. Would this have happened with America? It's questionable. Perhaps these actions by England were shaped by U.S. policy in some way. We'll never know for sure. However, what I'm more interested in would be how we take certain rights of citizens of the U.S. today and think that they are so-called "inalienable" rights, when in fact they are not. This is problematic as more and more people start demanding their share of the government pie. I think that alienable rights are few and limited; other benefits are "privileges", not rights. There is a big difference.
I think that alienable rights are few and limited; other benefits are "privileges", not rights.? There is a big difference.
Good point. If you dont play by the rules, even in this country, you can lose those rights, so really privleges is a better word for it.
I agree with scout about the decolonialization but since we had a vastly different relationship with the frontier than Canada did I'd say we'd have been out sooner.Our history up to and including the first rumblings of revolution was based on the old itchy foot problem and more formally a westering tradition. We had a tendancy to solve our problems by moving west... first the folks looking for riches and freedoms in the new world, after we got here the same applied. Anyone that had a problem with what was going on moved west.The difference between US and Canada was that the icon of law and civilization went west with the frontier (RCMP) while here the law was always trying to catch up to the frontier.
We would have revolted again and again and again until England was too busy chasing Napoleon around or too bored at kicking our tails. 🙂
Hello!I am new member but neither American citizen nor resident.In my view the U.S would never exist as we know it today with all his grandeur and exuberance.Till the end of American civil war, Britain inconsolable mind over the lost of America has made all maneuvers to try to dislocate, the then emerging ambitious world power.The main cause of the 1812-1814 war ,was the Britain attempt to prevent the westward expansion of the hungry lands Americans .And during civil war Britain was eager to see the Union split apart by secretly financing the CSA and declaring its neutrality in the war.We would have probably four or more blocks of independents states all members Commonwealth had the Revolutionary?s war failed.
....We would have probably four or more blocks of independents states all members Commonwealth had the Revolutionary?s war failed.
Welcome to the forum! I think your premise has merit since the various colonies had some serious regional, economic, and religious baggage to contend with. Might have been several smaller Commonweath members but my bet is Britain would have tried to weld it back togehter somehow.Cheers,Wally
Hello!I am new member but neither American citizen nor resident.In my view the U.S would never exist as we know it today with all his grandeur and exuberance.Till the end of American civil war, Britain inconsolable mind over the lost of America has made all maneuvers to try to dislocate, the then emerging ambitious world power.The main cause of the 1812-1814 war ,was the Britain attempt to prevent the westward expansion of the hungry lands Americans .And during civil war Britain was eager to see the Union split apart by secretly financing the CSA and declaring its neutrality in the war.We would have probably four or more blocks of independents states all members Commonwealth had the Revolutionary?s war failed.
Welcome to the forums! I have been doing lots of reading on what you mention in your 2nd paragraph and I think that the financial repercussions of the Civil War were hugely important. I plan to do some reading tonight on the 'Greenback' currency as a matter of fact. To answer the topic I find it hard to imagine what would happen. If I had to guess I would say that Britain would stamp out the rebels as best they could and most likely (not sure if they were spreading too thin around the world or if they could pull this off, somebody please let me know as I'm interested) deploy a lot more troops to the Colonies which would undoubtedly be very unpopular with many colonialists and I honestly think that they would try for revolution once again. The ideas that went behind drafting the constitution as well as what I imagine the frame of mind the founding fathers would have had would have been ideas that no amount of military occupation or 100 stamp taxes could erase and these would only add more fuel to the fire.In a broader sense look at what the US has brought the world in the past two centuries. They have produced great scientists, literature, works of art, architecture, innovation, household appliances, automobiles, ... in a relatively short span of time. If the colonies still belonged to Britain I would go on a limb and propose that many of these would not exist or alternatively they may have been invented at a later date.
