I'd spar again with Eurofed, since I disagree with nearly everything he posted up there but no one wants to read a rant by me and I doubt it'd fix much. Suffice it to say, I'm still going to throw a jab. While I respect your opinion, and I do not think Quebec fitting into the United States is ASB (on the contrary it's quite doable), it is Eurofed- not as easy and intuitive as you make it out to be.
Short anwer: Yes, I believe there would be a possibility for that. I'm not on-board with the idea that Canada (which I will hereon refer to instead of Quebec, as it would likely be called that ittl) would slide nice and easy into the union. For instance, in most TLs involving this Canada is shown to unequivocally support the North. However, at this time Canada was actually slave-state, it had claims on the Ohio Valley dating back to 1608 and was majority Catholic. The Constitutional Convention is going to go way different than OTL. I actually imagine that Canada is often going to throw its hat in with the South and vice-versa. Many things that Canada wanted the South wanted: neither wanted popular representation in a bicameral legislature (both being smaller than the North).
That's a whole extra layer of tensions on the conference, and Canada is just as likely as the South to threaten to walk out if they don't get their way. I'm not going to detail it more or I'm going to end up going for pages, but short answer: it's going to be a very different United States, a United States with potentially more problems that could end up going either way. However, I doubt it's all going to go smoothly and Canada simply integrates, no questions asked.
Yes. America would become much more like Canada. It would likely be more decentralized, and Anglo-French relations are going to be as big of as a deal as North-South relations. It'll add a whole other layer of complexity to inter-state relations, which definitely makes for an interesting and intriguing TL. However, if Canada ends up successfully integrating with the union it could be a good thing: and I can see Canada as a big benefit to more Mexican-majority states joining the Union in the future.
Most would stay and deal with it. They might form a larger political polity that could be long-term "British-appeasers". Others would migrate elsewhere: the Bahamas, Caribbean or back to Britain seem the most likely destinations.
Nope. OTL Quebec would be its own state, though its borders are a complete throw up. Southern Ontario would likely form its own state (Niagara or Ontario perhaps), as would Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (which might include P.E.I.). The Maritime provinces of Canada would end up just being an extension of New England, New Brunswick perhaps being a bit of an exception (might be lumped in with Quebec). The Western provinces will fall into the Midwest and West-coast regions of American. They wouldn't form a collective identity based on being north of the 49th in this TL.
It would make early American demographic expansion north-ward looking. This is big butterflies, I really don't know what could happen here. But in general, it is a good thing economically for both the U.S. and Canada.
1) How would Quebec fit into the union? Would there be a large amount of cultural tensions between it and the rest of the US? Would Quebec seccessionism in the 19th century be a possibility, and is there any chance of Quebec and Southern seccessionists forming some kind of tactical alliance? (ie, they both want to leave the US, but for different reasons)
Short anwer: Yes, I believe there would be a possibility for that. I'm not on-board with the idea that Canada (which I will hereon refer to instead of Quebec, as it would likely be called that ittl) would slide nice and easy into the union. For instance, in most TLs involving this Canada is shown to unequivocally support the North. However, at this time Canada was actually slave-state, it had claims on the Ohio Valley dating back to 1608 and was majority Catholic. The Constitutional Convention is going to go way different than OTL. I actually imagine that Canada is often going to throw its hat in with the South and vice-versa. Many things that Canada wanted the South wanted: neither wanted popular representation in a bicameral legislature (both being smaller than the North).
That's a whole extra layer of tensions on the conference, and Canada is just as likely as the South to threaten to walk out if they don't get their way. I'm not going to detail it more or I'm going to end up going for pages, but short answer: it's going to be a very different United States, a United States with potentially more problems that could end up going either way. However, I doubt it's all going to go smoothly and Canada simply integrates, no questions asked.
2) Assuming Quebec doesn't leave, would America's sense of itself be affected by the fact that part of it is very different, culturally and religiously, from the rest of it?
Yes. America would become much more like Canada. It would likely be more decentralized, and Anglo-French relations are going to be as big of as a deal as North-South relations. It'll add a whole other layer of complexity to inter-state relations, which definitely makes for an interesting and intriguing TL. However, if Canada ends up successfully integrating with the union it could be a good thing: and I can see Canada as a big benefit to more Mexican-majority states joining the Union in the future.
Where would the loyalists go? And who settles *Ontario in their absence-Quebec or the Anglophone US?
Most would stay and deal with it. They might form a larger political polity that could be long-term "British-appeasers". Others would migrate elsewhere: the Bahamas, Caribbean or back to Britain seem the most likely destinations.
4) Would the various parts of *Canada be tied economically to each other as much as OTL? In particular, would be see anything like the Canadian Pacific railway?
Nope. OTL Quebec would be its own state, though its borders are a complete throw up. Southern Ontario would likely form its own state (Niagara or Ontario perhaps), as would Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (which might include P.E.I.). The Maritime provinces of Canada would end up just being an extension of New England, New Brunswick perhaps being a bit of an exception (might be lumped in with Quebec). The Western provinces will fall into the Midwest and West-coast regions of American. They wouldn't form a collective identity based on being north of the 49th in this TL.
5) How would having Canada's resources and population affect the economic and political development of the US?
It would make early American demographic expansion north-ward looking. This is big butterflies, I really don't know what could happen here. But in general, it is a good thing economically for both the U.S. and Canada.