WI : The British invade 'The Thirteen Colonies' after the Articles of Confederation fail.

Whilst I've seen some TLs flirt around the idea (or haven't approached this point IIRC), I was curious as to whether a Post-Independence War could lead to a reunification/reconquest war if the Articles of Confederation fall apart and aren't replaced with the Constitution.

A particular sub scenario I'd be curious about is whether there would be any States that might be inclined to be the focus of "Reunification". I.e. join the Empire under rather generous terms, in exchange the British would transfer any reconquered territories to them.

Is brute force or a 'Friendly State' scenario possible? What would be the long-term benefits/costs of doing so?
 
The problem is that the New England states are certainly not looking to return to the UK, and some of the Southern states which might be more willing there is the issue of slavery - by 1790 (assuming Constitution fails in 1789) the UK is getting close to abolition of slavery everywhere in the Empire. This won't fly in the Southern states. If the "USA" falls apart from internal tensions, the British would more likely make breakaway states dependencies rather than official parts of the Empire - at least to start with. Having states or smaller confederations as economically dependent and politically aligned without the cost and bother of direct rule would work just fine.
 
Too expensive. Plus, by the end of the war, their main goal was ensuring the fair treatment of all loyalists, it's why they made other concessions besides simply letting the colonists go. By this time all loyalists are either gone to Canada/Barbados/Britain (on the account of having their stuff stolen and lands squatted on...) or been brainwashed into the American ideology. Someone pointed out the possibility of New England breaking off int he War of 1812, but the sentiment isn't there yet and the British have no intention of going where they aren't wanted... except in Africa and India.
 
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