So what if, after the Seven Years War, the British decided to take all of Louisiana in addition to Canada? How would this affect the development of North America?
WI British take all of Louisiana
- Thread starter King Nazar
- Start date
The US starts bigger, that's about it.
Why would the US start bigger? I imagine the Louisianans would be as loyal to the Crown as the Quebecois were.
The biggest problem is getting the British to get it in the peace treaty. Louisiana was Spanish by the time of peace negotiations. One suggestion would be that the British find out they took the Philippines, and that's the swap.
It certainly might end up butterflying away the revolution. With control of the Mississippi, Britain has a considerably larger incentive to accelerate the settlement of the northwest territory. This will likely render the Quebec act stillborn, and enable the ohio territory to remain as a pressure valve for colonial discontent.
Would the British move the Royal Proclamation Line westward to the Ohio and Mississippi?
It would certainly be profitable for them to do so. Despite cottage industries in new England and the middle colonies, the 13 colonies were overwhelmingly dependent upon England for manufactured goods. Westward expansion means importing more tools, rifles, and plows etc.
With control over the Mississippi, the probable future profitability of said lands increases enormously, as a frequently hostile power no longer controls the mouth of said regions principal river system. This means said land will have the means of affordably transporting its agricultural bounty to other markets.
Short term military costs versus medium/long term profits
Interesting. So would the British create new colonies in the Americas or simply expand the existing 13 colonies?