The British colonies in the Caribbean were fairly pro-American during the ARW, but they never rose up. How could we get large scale revolts in the British Caribbean with the goal of joining the USA? What would be the effects of this?
The Caribbeans will definitely return back to the British fold at the end of the war--considering the British had total control of the seas,unless the French and the Spanish are able to destroy the RN.The British colonies in the Caribbean were fairly pro-American during the ARW, but they never rose up. How could we get large scale revolts in the British Caribbean with the goal of joining the USA? What would be the effects of this?
The Caribbeans will definitely return back to the British fold at the end of the war--considering the British had total control of the seas,unless the French and the Spanish are able to destroy the RN.
Bermuda would be too small to be a state and too far away from other states to become part of one. What do you think that its ultimate fate in the USA would be?Please note I speak of the Bahamas and Bermuda, who were the most pro-American West Indian colonies by a long shot. Despite their populations and even prominent local elites (Gambiers in the Bahamas) being pro-American, they never officially joined due to the total lack of American naval protection versus Royal Navy sttength. The others had various degrees of sympathy, but definitely on the "STOP! It's bad for business, guys!" side of things.
The Bahamas and Bermuda need to be bold enough to declare for America, because that changes a lot when France comes to help: the French Navy was at a zenith and Royal Navy at a nadir. Mostly because even if the Royal Navy captures them (which it will), the Americans will refuse to let them go back to Britain the way they insisted the totally-conquered Georgia and NYC be returned to the USA and actually had it happen. With Britain exhausted and the French Navy even capturing certain British islands and planning an assault on Jamaica by the time the war ended, I could see the two island chains/colonies being ceded to America as full-fledged states (as they were independent colonies).
Different American privateers captured the Bahamas twice - once in 1776, the other in 1778, but had they stayed instead of merely raiding (mysteriously helped along by the Gambiers), you could see it causing the Bahamians to throw in the towel for the Patriots. An American ship in 1779 was about to take Bermuda but a British convoy got to Bermuda by just ten minutes to supply the island with provisions and fresh troops. Again, just have that convoy be taken down by the American ship and you've got a defenseless island (because Bermuda only got its fortress reputation post-ARW, when suddenly you had an entire eastern seaboard become foreign and a needed link between Canada and the West Indies). Basically, that's how weak the Royal Navy was - some very simple and cutting-edge PODs and these islands could have their situation forever changed with an American occupation, no matter how de-facto short it'd be.
France won't join immediately simply because a few more Caribbean islands joined in.It's also worthwhile to note that the Caribbean Islands were extremely rich and Britain would find justificatin in reconquering them.You are also underestimating the Royal Navy.The reason why the French failed to capture Jamaica was because their navy was decisively defeated by the RN.Please note I speak of the Bahamas and Bermuda, who were the most pro-American West Indian colonies by a long shot. Despite their populations and even prominent local elites (Gambiers in the Bahamas) being pro-American, they never officially joined due to the total lack of American naval protection versus Royal Navy sttength. The others had various degrees of sympathy, but definitely on the "STOP! It's bad for business, guys!" side of things.
The Bahamas and Bermuda need to be bold enough to declare for America, because that changes a lot when France comes to help: the French Navy was at a zenith and Royal Navy at a nadir. Mostly because even if the Royal Navy captures them (which it will), the Americans will refuse to let them go back to Britain the way they insisted the totally-conquered Georgia and NYC be returned to the USA and actually had it happen. With Britain exhausted and the French Navy even capturing certain British islands and planning an assault on Jamaica by the time the war ended, I could see the two island chains/colonies being ceded to America as full-fledged states (as they were independent colonies).
Different American privateers captured the Bahamas twice - once in 1776, the other in 1778, but had they stayed instead of merely raiding (mysteriously helped along by the Gambiers), you could see it causing the Bahamians to throw in the towel for the Patriots. An American ship in 1779 was about to take Bermuda but a British convoy got to Bermuda by just ten minutes to supply the island with provisions and fresh troops. Again, just have that convoy be taken down by the American ship and you've got a defenseless island (because Bermuda only got its fortress reputation post-ARW, when suddenly you had an entire eastern seaboard become foreign and a needed link between Canada and the West Indies). Basically, that's how weak the Royal Navy was - some very simple and cutting-edge PODs and these islands could have their situation forever changed with an American occupation, no matter how de-facto short it'd be.
The Caribbeans will definitely return back to the British fold at the end of the war--considering the British had total control of the seas,unless the French and the Spanish are able to destroy the RN.
There is pretty much no way that the Americans would be able to maintain hold of the Caribbean for long, if they are even able to capture some of its islands in the first place. Assuming that its the white population in the British Caribbean that rises up, the British may become more open to the idea of abolition.
This could mean that more African Americans join with the British and leave America after the end of the world.
At the start of the war,before the proper powers joined,Britain did dominate the seas.And after they joined,was able to outfight them.Not quite; the Royal Navy was certainly very powerful, perhaps even the single most powerful navy in the world, but the French navy was a close second, and the Spanish was good as well. The days of unquestioned British naval dominance didn't come until the French Revolution gutted France's naval officer corps a few years later.
(Indeed, if the British did have total control over the seas, they'd probably have ended up winning, since the French wouldn't be able to give nearly as much aid to the rebels.)
IOTL the British promised freedom to any slaves who fought for the Crown in the Thirteen Colonies, and I could definitely see them doing something similar in the Caribbean.
Really now, old chap, the Treaty of Paris was unfortunate, but describing it as the end of the world might be a little bit excessive...![]()
Federal territory?How would the islands be apportioned as states? In the USA of OTL, all of the colonies became states, but many of the Caribbean colonies would be too small to make into states of their own. In addition, Bermuda would not only be too small but also far away from the rest, meaning that it could not be added to another state.