What US Would Be Like if America Lost the Revolution

The United States of America only exists because a group of revolutionaries took up arms and fought off a much stronger British empire to claim their independence. Things could have easily gone the other way, and the American revolution could have never occurred. Check out today's epic new video to see what an alternate history of the United States would be like if the American revolution had never happened!

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[ferretsage]

Actually, America would just end up exactly like either Canada or Australia — both of which are Nations with enormous land masses that were, once, under British rule for centuries.

[edwardcricchio]

I taught American history for 30 years in a Middle School. One of my favorite assignments was when I asked the students to write their vision of "The British Won the Revolution". I gave them options of what happened back in 1783 to the Revolutionaries, or they could write what it is like to live in the present day as British subjects in British North America. I had some great responses over the years. Most of the students enjoyed the assignment.

[SCGMLB]

It may have affected how the other British territories - Canada, Australia, New Zealand were ultimately allowed to govern themselves. Even Queen Elizabeth II admitted that the American revolution was a wake up call to Britain to change the way they dealt with their colonial possessions.

[shahsaeed]

"feed them tea with no biscuits" that had to be the most British punishment possible 😆😆😆

[coreysanders]

A number of European countries assisted the American colonists. The primary allies were France, Spain, and the Netherlands, with France giving the most support.

[Jake_]

The American flag is based on the British east India trading company flag, the national anthem is sung to the tune of an old English drinking song, constitution is based upon the Magna Carta and English law, some even wanted to keep the monarchy.

Very similar in so many ways yet completely alien in others.

[oliversherman]

America as a Commonwealth country certainly is an interesting idea. Sending love to our American cousins 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇲

[BobTheBlue]

Imagine… free health care, no guns and no gun crime, 25-30 days paid holiday a year and no slavery… 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[royalstory]

Who else sometimes falls asleep watching these stories then ends up having the craziest dreams about them?

[toddbrackett]

I suspect that Alaska would have been included in the alternate United States. Russia had difficulty administrating Alaska and sold it to the US in our timeline out of concern that the US or UK would have eventually captured it.

[B-A-L]

One advantage of America remaining a British colony is that it wouldn't have turned up to two world wars 2 to 3 years late!

[plasmakitten]

If France didn't spend resources on aiding the American revolution, might they have been able to create better conditions in their country to prevent their own revolution?

[fauzirahman]

I wonder how Australia would turn out. The UK focused on Australia after losing the American colonies. I wonder if it would be less developed or even be divided among other colonial nations in this alternate history.

[ThePkmage]

The Boston "massacre" was actually like the Boston self defence

[ricardosmythe]

Pretty much as it does today. That initial flag looked that way for a reason and the stars introduced to replace the Union Jack which is also basically a star design are an obvious nod to it

[richardgregory]

There's a really good alternative history novel call The Two Georges. It gets it's title from a painting that commeorates a meeting between King George III and George Washington, in which they reach a peaceful solution - instead of succession, what is now the United States is simply joined with Canada and becomes the North American Union, a largely self-governing Dominion within the British Empire. One very major consquence of this is that there is no World War 1 because the British Empire is so powerful that no one can challenge it; this of course means no World War 2 either. It is also much less advanced technologically, since the world wars drive technical advancement; for example, private vehicles are steam driven, and television has not yet become a domestic product, but more like a public cinema. Other consequences are the failure of the French Revolution (France remains a monarchy), and many Native American tribes retained their lands much as did the Princes in British India. Also, slavery is abolished far earlier - in 1833, since the British Empire abolished it at that date. As a consequence the emancipated African Americans quickly rose to prosperous middle-class status within the Empire. Indeed Martin Luther King is shown as Governor General of North America, sitting in the capital New Victoria which is sited on the Potomac in Maryland, near Georgetown.

[MikesLARE]

Based on the multiverse theory. This scenario probably exists or existed in some parallel universe in an unfathomable amount times 😂

[corymorimacori]

UK: I didn’t lose, I mearly failed to win!”

[rachelhunter]

This has been one of my favourite infographics yet, thanks for all the research !

[ianport]

King George III wasn't an autocrat, he always took account of Parliament and his ministry who (mostly) had to keep the Lords and Commons on side: the concept of a prime minister already existed. And that's the point, the rebels wanted to have representation in Parliament because they knew it had huge importance, including the right to raise taxes. The kingdom of Great Britain was a nascent parliamentary democracy.