Oregon Country War

Highlander

Banned
What if the Canadians/British go to war with America over the Oregon Country?

What would the war look like? How would it affect later conflicts, like the Spanish-American War, or WWI?
 

Glen

Moderator
What if the Canadians/British go to war with America over the Oregon Country?

What would the war look like? How would it affect later conflicts, like the Spanish-American War, or WWI?

With that as the POD? Just going to war and everything before like OTL? The Canadians may take some knocks in the East. The Oregon Country coast will be held by the Royal Navy. The likely blockade against the US will be unpleasant, but then again I suspect America at this point is reasonably self-sufficient, so its not devastating, just bad for business.

In the end after creating some more bad blood between Canadians and Americans, probably ends with the British acquiring the entirety of the Oregon Country, or at least all the good bits (may throw a bone to the US to bring the war to a quicker conclusion, as they have better things to do).
 
The US probably could have handled itself in a land war, and England would have dominated the naval war. The US would probably be able to seize the territory, but the British could sail up and down the east coast landing troops at will and pull out before American troops could amass. The results of a war over the Oregon Territory would probably wind up with the same possibilities as OTL with the same sort of likelihood. Very small chance that America would get it all, very small chance England would get it all, small chance that it would become an independent republic like Jefferson wanted, and a good chance that they'd come to a compromise along the same lines as the diplomatic solution.

The aftermath would be much more interesting though. The US would be much more interested in building up a more powerful navy, the South would have been upset at another war over Canada and even more unhappy over fighting over territory that would probably end up to not be slave holders. English and Canadian relations with the US would certainly sour and that'd increase the likelihood of them intervening in America's civil war (Whenever it happens). An extra war in the 19th century would also increase the populous' anti-militarism, which would make a civil war less popular in the north.

So even if America wins all of Columbia, it increases their chances of losing the Civil War.
 

Highlander

Banned
@Glen: For this to work, some earlier exchange would probably have to have taken place for relations to boil over. So the PoD may have to be earlier.

Good post as well, Karl. :) Wonder if this could effect other boundary disputes, like the Maine one?
 
this one has come up before... in general, any UK/US war in this time frame is bad news for the US... mainly, because the UK can blockade the US into submission. The USN and US army are tiny, and the Fed govt relies mainly on customs duties to fund itself. IIRC, the only reason the Brits agreed to the US proposal to split the territory and extend the border as it is today is because they were distracted by some other conflict and basically didn't want to bother warring with the US...
 

Thande

Donor
When would this have been? 1844, 1845? I don't think there could have been any major distraction at home, so Britain probably wins quite easily (providing one of our daft nineteenth-century governments doesn't win the war and then give it to the Americans anyway a couple of years later :rolleyes: )

However, it might be interesting if this was delayed until 1848...I wonder if Britain would want to be involved in a colonial war at a time when Europe was in turmoil, revolutions were everywhere, and you could imagine a hostile power appearing on your doorstep...that could be the way to give the Americans a chance.
 
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