An independent British Columbia

althisfan

Banned
First time posting, so I hope this is the type of question to ask- if for whatever reason Britain keeps the Oregon Country instead of splitting it with the US, does alternate British Columbia bother joining the Dominion of Canada? As I understand a transcontinental railroad and taking the colony's debt is what Canada bribed BC with. Would they need to join Canada in this alternate history?
 
The Confederation of Canada was large response to a US spreading coast to coast.
So to avoid BC joining Canada California will need to be independent of the US also.
So perhaps alternate Mexican Wars leave California independent but not US or remains part of Mexico.
 
I think an independent British Columbia is possible, but only as a nation that refuses to join Canada, and not a situation where they hold all of the Oregon territory. If the Oregon Territory became independent they wouldn't need to join Canada, given how large they would be.
 

althisfan

Banned
I think an independent British Columbia is possible, but only as a nation that refuses to join Canada, and not a situation where they hold all of the Oregon territory. If the Oregon Territory became independent they wouldn't need to join Canada, given how large they would be.
Could you elaborate what would happen if British Columbia were to include Oregon Territory?
 
Could you elaborate what would happen if British Columbia were to include Oregon Territory?

I highly doubt that the British could have taken all of Oregon territory. Following the Louisiana Purchase America was to big a player to ignore. There were also more Americans entering it as far as I know than British. Thats one of the reason the split occurred OTL.
 
You could always avert the Louisiana Purchase, or truncate it. Have the British and maybe other European powers bully the US into returning at least part of it to Spain, and that might slow American penetration enough to allow the British to gain control of all the Oregon Territory.
 
I highly doubt that the British could have taken all of Oregon territory. Following the Louisiana Purchase America was to big a player to ignore. There were also more Americans entering it as far as I know than British. Thats one of the reason the split occurred OTL.
It's worth pointing out that the Louisiana purchased wasn't clearly defined in the north and Spain disputed its extent also. Further treaties with Britain and Spain after 1812 were needed to set these. Have the US come off worse with Britain and you'll get a more southern boundary than OTL. It's worth noting that the settlers weren't exactly US loyalists/republicans, plenty became Canadian as they ended up in Ontario to British Columbia etc.
But still makes it extremely difficult for the entire territory to be British. And even a victorious war with the US over it would just push BC into joining a Confederation out if self defence.
So I agree that the Louisiana Purchase as it is reduces the likelihood of a British entire Oregon/Columbia.
Perhaps the best way might be to somehow get a US alliance with Britain to conquer it from Napoleonic France. That way the US never gets the northern portion bordering the Columbia/Oregon territories and the US expansion west is limited by wars with Spain with or against the UK and so is much slower. Without a race to the west with the US British America has no need to consolidate east to west.
 
An independent British Columbia is not implausible--the Rocky Mountains arguably make a decent frontier, and the Dominion of Canada had relatively few connections with the west coast. Especially if this British Columbia includes more territory, like what is now Washington State, it could be perfectly viable.
 

Philip

Donor
If the US pushes a little further north into the prairie provinces while UK holds onto all of Oregon then an independent British Columbia seems likely.

Focusing Manifest Destiny on San Francisco and San Diego would help relieve pressure on BC.
 
Didn't the US negotiate to take over Russia's claim south of Alaska? Maybe this never happens.
Could more British settlers reach Oregon sooner?
Maybe the United States has much less immigration to it, so in this way the British don't need more settlers to Oregon than OTL, because America has less.
 
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