At what point was there longer a fear of America becoming a British colony again?

U.S David

Banned
Hey everyone. I have a question. After the Revoultion, many people in Great Britain and in Europe thought the 13 colonies would fall apart, and rejoin the Empire.

I mean no colony has ever became indepent and lasted right? That was the thought. Even during the War of 1812, there were fears in people's hearts that they may become British subjects again.

But by the 1840s, it was clear Great Britain would never retake all of America, and the best they could do in a war would be getting a part of Maine, some of the Mid-West, or the NorthWest or Alaska.


At what point did the world agree that the British would never get the colonies back? Like the general view of Europe, to the point of no fear in a Ohion Farmers heart?
 
After the United States endured the War of 1812 I think it was safe to say that Britain gave up any hope of a "reconquista." The separation was far too deep. By 1812, the only semi-reliable "Loyalist" sympathies were in New England. I'd say that after the invaders left, all hope was lost. New England even wanted to secede at one point because it would be favorable in terms of trade with Britain. After 1812, any bid for land beyond the Great Lakes was pretty much done.
 
It's even a stretch to consider the War of 1812 a significant threat to US independence...as far as I know British war aims did not seriously contemplate a reabsorption of the US into the British Empire.

I would place the last realistic date for any of the US states rejoining the British Empire at 1789 with the adoption of the US Constitution. After this point the attempt of any US states to leave the federal union (especially to rejoin the British Empire or any other European empire) would be considered secession and probably resisted forcefully by the federal government.
 
Zoomar has the right idea. While by 1812 the idea the Americans were runaway Englishmen still existed, it really wasn't feasible to conquer the 1783 USA PLUS Louisiana Territory... both due to Americans having gotten through the Revolution plus sticking together via the Constitution, independence for nearly thirty years by that point, and the Napoleonic Wars going on at the same time.

1789 sounds right. I have read how just after the Revolution John Adams heard rumors on rejoining the British Empire in Britain but that's literally just after it finished.
 
It's even a stretch to consider the War of 1812 a significant threat to US independence...as far as I know British war aims did not seriously contemplate a reabsorption of the US into the British Empire.

I would place the last realistic date for any of the US states rejoining the British Empire at 1789 with the adoption of the US Constitution. After this point the attempt of any US states to leave the federal union (especially to rejoin the British Empire or any other European empire) would be considered secession and probably resisted forcefully by the federal government.

Well the question wasn't when did it stop being a realistic fear but when did it disappear completely. For a while the British were to the US what the Catholics were to England in the 17th century: a hyped up fear born out of hysteria. Sure I doubt any of the national elite thought it was a realistic possibility, but the everyday people probably did. This being said, I'd say that the fear more or less went away after the war of 1812, when the US proved they could preserve their independence against Britain.
 
Well the question wasn't when did it stop being a realistic fear but when did it disappear completely. For a while the British were to the US what the Catholics were to England in the 17th century: a hyped up fear born out of hysteria. Sure I doubt any of the national elite thought it was a realistic possibility, but the everyday people probably did. This being said, I'd say that the fear more or less went away after the war of 1812, when the US proved they could preserve their independence against Britain.

I'd agree, there's a difference between the leadership and ther egular people.

Part of that may have been because the British hung on so long, and had some success down South later in the war, though. Did New England have as much fear as the South? I'm not so sure. Had Washington won at Brnadywine, as discussed in a couple tghreads before - not necessarily destroying Howe but forcing a retreat and then ending the war in 1778-early '79 with a much easier war - there may have been less fear even among the regular people.
 
Wasn't there some chance that Britain would support the Confederate States during the Civil War?

Even though Britain had already abolished slavery. I think this would probably give yet another timeline for the phase out of slavery.
 
December 18, 1777.

Whereas I'm not really on board with this date, the general thrust is good for me. My choice would be the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. Once the British king recognized the American colonies as independent states, it was over. There was no point during the 1780's during which the British could have waltzed in and reasserted dominance in the settled parts of the United States. If that is true then, it would be true every year afterward. Events like the War of 1812 are just proof of that fact, rather than the fact itself.
 
I think people are missing the point slightly, it's not when Britain could no longer conquer the USA, it's when that fear passed for the average American.

Which would probably be the War of 1812.
 
Convention respecting fisheries, boundary, and the restoration of slaves - 1818 - While the US and UK still "competed" afterwards it started normal relations
 

birdboy2000

Banned
Going by the rhetoric from some of the (less sane?) gun nuts, that fear still exists for some Americans.

I dunno - the possibility of an autocoup or a Russian or Chinese invasion, sure, but that level of Anglophobia in US politics is restricted to the Larouchites.
 
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