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A thought I had on my mind earlier today.....

So, let's say that things don't go so well for the British in the east during the War of 1812, or a similar conflict(ending by no later than 1830), and the Americans manage to annex parts of southern Ontario, including York/Toronto; but on the flip side, the Americans are forced to sacrifice a few parts of the old Northwest, namely, most or even all of what would have been Wisconsin(and Upper Michigan and NE Minnesota besides!), after having too much difficulty holding back the Natives, and/or the Brits themselves, over there.

(Although, for the purposes of this scenario, let's assume for now that the Americans may not be interested in the Rupert's Land territory, or the Maritime colonies, and are keeping to themselves for a while.....at least until the Texas problem starts happening vis-a-vis Mexico.)

What might be the effects of such an outcome? Might the British have to rely more on the Maritime Provinces to secure their remaining interests in continental North America? Or could they convince some folks to settle in the newly annexed Wisconsin country eventually(maybe some Irishmen?)?

And how would the admission of *Ontario as a new free state affect American politics?
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