Technocratic colonization of North America

[Hnau]

A weird idea I had recently. What if the British Commonwealth was able to survive and the Glorious Restoration was avoided, thus leading to an increasingly Calvinist Anglican Church? The first result is that the Puritans stay in England instead of leaving for the American colonies. The second one could be more interesting: the Lord Protector, whoever it is, cracks down on the members of the nascent Royal Society of London and other pioneers of 17th century science. At first, it seems obvious that they would leave for France or the Netherlands, but what if there was a brain drain of Europe's greatest scientists and free-thinkers towards North America? How would the British colonies develop if, instead of the religiously conservative Puritans, it received philosophers and scientists who were highly motivated to establish a place of freedom for intellectual pursuits?

How could this idea be made more plausible?

 

[Elfwine]

Why would the Lord Protector (or whoever, but it'll do) crack down on science?

Calvinism isn't anti-scientific - maybe if we got to evolution and such directly contrary to the Bible stuff, but we're not there yet.

 

[MAlexMatt]

Is it worth mentioning that one of the major centers of intellectualism in this time period, the Netherlands, was vociferously Calvinist?

And it's my understand that the Puritans, while related to Calvinists theologically, rejected some of their doctrines. This may have only been the American ones, though, I'm not sure.

 

[Tobit]

It seemed like the Netherlands was more the have for freethinkers and intellectuals of Europe. So, what if the Netherlands is wiped off the map? I know it was referenced in Quicksilver (not too reliable) but it makes sense that William the Silent goes on and moves off in a huge colonization movement.

 

[OS fan]

Is it worth mentioning that one of the major centers of intellectualism in this time period, the Netherlands, was vociferously Calvinist?

And it makes sense. There is a straight line from Calvin to Darwin.

 

[Hnau]

Hey, I didn't mean to step any toes by saying Calvinism is anti-scientific. I guess I was just thinking that a religiously conservative dictatorship might persecute scientists, driving them towards North America.

If the Netherlands is such a scientific mecca at this point, perhaps there is formed an Anglo-Dutch Protectorate? I wrote a timeline at one point amounting to about as much.