What if Canada had been invited to the Continental Congress?

Keenir

Banned
In OTL, why weren't Nova Scotia and the other British colonies (at least those east of the 1763 Proclamation Line) invited to the Continental Congress?*

And what would have happened if they had been invited?


* = it can't be because there were Tories there, because pretty much every one of the 13 Colonies also had Tories.
 
If they were invited a delegation would definately come but either...

1. They persuade the Canadian colonies to join in the Revolution and win, allowing the US to have 4 or 5 more starting states. or

2. The persuasion fails and the Canadian colonies don't join in the Revolution.
 
If Wikipedia means anything, all the colonies WERE invited to the First and Second Continental Congresses-only Georgia accepted and went to the Second.

Assuming the Militia Act in Nova Scotia in '76 goes even stronger, or that whole classic 'Eddy's Rebellion means at least mainland NS joins' you've got more patriots who might whip up a delegation from the get go and join the party a bit late.

Assuming (French) Canada *somehow* goes in, you now have England having only Halifax as a convient naval base. Assuming the above didn't happen already.

Basically with the possible exception of PEI/NS, all the colonies with strong enough fervor who weren't major military bases/too far off (basically, both reasons applied to the other BNA colonies not revolting) would have to be conquered and allowed/forced to set up revolutionary governments by their Patriots.

Gimme a tick, I'll find that post I made a while back regarding all BNA colonies...

EDIT: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=111709
 
Er, they did invite delegates from NS, SJI (modern PEI) and Quebec. Nobody showed not because there were Loyalists there, but because there were barely any rebels there at all. Quebec, nobody came because the Quebecois weren't interested and the Anglos were pretty much all army troops and members of the administration; SJIslanders didn't show because they were all dirt-poor; and NScotians disn't come because they were all dirt-poor farmers or living in a navy base. Also, IIRC, there was a religious revival going on in NS at this time, which menat a lot of the urban population tried to keep neutral - in practical terms meaning the Britich could do what they wanted with NS.
 

General Zod

Banned
Er, they did invite delegates from NS, SJI (modern PEI) and Quebec. Nobody showed not because there were Loyalists there, but because there were barely any rebels there at all. Quebec, nobody came because the Quebecois weren't interested and the Anglos were pretty much all army troops and members of the administration; SJIslanders didn't show because they were all dirt-poor; and NScotians disn't come because they were all dirt-poor farmers or living in a navy base. Also, IIRC, there was a religious revival going on in NS at this time, which menat a lot of the urban population tried to keep neutral - in practical terms meaning the Britich could do what they wanted with NS.

In other words, Canada joining the revolution really requires that the Quebecois must become interested, they are the only ones with numbers and resources to make a worthwhile contribution to the Revolution, which in turn most likely requires the British government must do something signfiicant to PO them. In other wors, no Quebec Act or even one that somehow oppresses Quebecois even more. This way, you can get Canada really interested in the Patriot moveement; with the Quebec Act still fresh, it's quite difficult. As you have pointed out, for NS it is very difficult to join the movement anyway, because of Halifax.
 
In other words, Canada joining the revolution really requires that the Quebecois must become interested, . . . . . In other wors, no Quebec Act or even one that somehow oppresses Quebecois even more.

Hmm, I would think that even if the Québec Act passed I'd still doubt that the Canadiens would want to join - and even if there were people that did join, they would be a small minority and the Church would act as a brake. In addition, the vast majority of them are either dirt-poor farmers or were tenants on seignueral land (or both) - those who lived in towns like Montréal were a minority - and thus there would be little interest in seceding, unlike the richer neighbours to the south.
 
You know, me and Vultan have been thinking of a TL where more of N. America rebels, and thre's a Spainsh economic crisis.
 
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