US Independence Question?

Question

Just wondering what you think... Could the countdown to United States Independence have been stopped? If so, under what circumstances? If it had been, how might the relationship between the U.S. and Britain be different today?

Just wanted to test your knowledge, since I have the answer key! Here's what it says:

"Answers will vary, but some students may argue that conflict and separation were inevitable because of the distance and differences between the colonies and their rulers, the independent spirit of the American colonists, and their experiences with representative assemblies. Others might suggest that through negotiation, the American colonies, like Canada, might have eventually become apart of the British Commonwealth and won a peaceful separation from the mother country."

I liked some of the responses better than what the key says.

Answer 1

Britain did two things that infuriated many colonists.
She was essentially bankrupt after the 7 years war (a.k.a. French & Indian War), and she began to tax the colonies. for example the stamp act, the tarrif on tea and duties on many other imports. The colonies had not been taxed by the mother country before.There was strong reaction to the attempt at taxation and all of the taxes were repealed except one tax. (I think it was the stamp act(.
The other irritant was a decree that there would be no settlement allowed in the West. ((beyond the Appalachian muntains. (e.g. Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee etc.) This policy was an indirect threat to the colonists. . After about 1760 land could be acquired cheaply but settlement was making such eastern land rose in price. If settlement was not allowed in the western regions, there would inevitably arise a situation, where there was a minority landed class and a greater poorer class that could never own land (in practice). as existed in Great Britain for centuries. The English landed gentry had special privileges that the landless did not have. (e.g. they could vote, etc.)This was a very important reason why many people had emigrated to the colonies, in the first place.
If both policies had been rescinded history may have been different.
The revolution was, in fact, a civil war. New England and some of the Southern colonies wanted independence. But the "middle colonies" and Ont. and Quebec, were not so minded. (N.Y., Penn., N.J. etc.) Many people and some colonies (initially), had no desire to break with England. and 250,000 people left the United States after independence.
Dan
A Canadian.

Answer 2

Actually, we almost did lose; probably the three most important factors in our obtaining our independence were:

1) George Washington's determination to succeed

2) Benjamin Franklin's skill as a diplomat, and

3) French assistance

Even then it was a close-run thing; some extra redcoats and another Royal Navy squadron or two (to keep out French supplies and money) might have been all it took to tip the scales...

If we had lost, then the relationship would almost certainly resemble Canada's relationship with England.

Answer 3

What countdown are you talking about?Not sure I understand your question..,the Brits and Americans went to war,Americans won the war thus gaining United States.., of course they were name individual states many years later..,but I am lost as to what you are implying,do you wish the close ties between the two were severed?It was my understanding that the Brits that came to America was due to freedom of religion and taxation..,correct?Britian didnt like it so it ended up with the war.I feel we are close to Britian and I am thankful they are our allies.About the only countries I have a problem with are the ones that want to run America down and want to attack us.We leave people alone as long as they leave us alone.

Answer 4

if the parliament did not rip into ben franklin he never would have helped jefferson write the declaration of independence, nor would franklin have gone to france to establish that relationship which won the war at the end.

if we did not fight the revolt against britian we would have just been another client state like india, china, palestine, afganistan, ireland

Answer 5

Money....Pound sterling leading the Currency all over the world!