WI: The USA had Annexed British Columbia?

In 1871 the colony of British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation created in 1867 after much agitation from both Canada and the US.

What might the immediate and long term effects of have been of British Columbia had become a US state/territory instead?
 

AStanley

Banned
In 1871 the colony of British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation created in 1867 after much agitation from both Canada and the US.

What might the immediate and long term effects of have been of British Columbia had become a US state/territory instead?

I think the method in which it became a State/Territory has a huge effect.

If it was purchased I could see B.C possibly becoming 3 States. Also, I think Alaska's Population will see an increase as well due to a direct connection to Mainland America. In addition, the Population of the Canadian Midwest (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) will be lower I think, since the Canadians now have no need for a transcontinental railroad.

If America acquired this in a War, a WWI equivalent could be very interesting, and there will be obviously worse relations with the UK and Canada.
 
How might the treatment of Native Americans in that region be different under US authority than Canadian/British? How might the Alaskan gold rush be different from OTL? What would the long term effects on Canada be without an access to the Pacific coast? What other changes might there be that I haven't mentioned yet?
 
Another question would be: can the US annex Yukon as well? They need more than just a strip of coastal territory to connect into BC as well. There are also factors that are needed to allow an American annexation of BC. One of them would be to build a railroad from California to BC (possibly an extension of the American railways), and two: more influx of American settlers and miners into BC and that can easily be accomplished through the Gold Rush they have in BC.
 
Another question would be: can the US annex Yukon as well? They need more than just a strip of coastal territory to connect into BC as well. There are also factors that are needed to allow an American annexation of BC. One of them would be to build a railroad from California to BC (possibly an extension of the American railways), and two: more influx of American settlers and miners into BC and that can easily be accomplished through the Gold Rush they have in BC.
I doubt that they could annex what land makes up the modern Yukon because that boarder wasn't created until the 1890s when the Alasken gold rush lead to americans makeing claims over the boarder into that territory. Perhaps if the USA annexes BC first then the Canadian gov. will move faster to create new boarders add the territories around BC to Canada but this would then prevent the USA from getting any more land around there. So as far as I can tell a strip of coastal territory is all they'll get to connect to Alaska.
 
It appears to be "much agitation." From whom? Why didn't this exist OTL but does ATL? How does the US win the war?
There wasn't any war involved. According to the page on Wikipedia about the History of British Columbia

"Annexation debate

In 1867, there were three options open: to continue as a British colony, to be annexed by the United States, or to join with the newly formed Dominion of Canada. Financially, becoming officially part of the United States made sense since British Colombia was economically essentially a satellite of San Francisco. The opening of the American transcontinental railroad in 1869 made it possible to travel by ship from Victoria to San Francisco, then by train to Ottawa or Washington in just 24 days. With the gold now gone, most of the American miners had left, and the economic future did not look promising unless B.C. could join the very rapidly growing, rich economies of the Pacific states. There was vocal sentiment in favor of annexation by the merchant community, but there was also a large element from Ontario and the Maritimes that wanted to join Canada, despite the vast distances involved.
When American Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the Alaska Purchase in 1867, it was part of his plan to incorporate the entire northwest Pacific Coast, chiefly for the long-term commercial advantages to the United States in terms of Pacific trade. Seward believed that the people in British Columbia wanted annexation and that Britain would accept this in exchange for the "Alabama claims". In the event, Seward dropped the idea of an exchange and accepted an arbitration plan that settled the Alabama claims for cash. Until the Alaska Purchase and the new Dominion status (which were almost simultaneous), the British had been indifferent to the fate of British Columbia. London now paid attention, and realized the value of B.C. as a base for its imperial trade opportunities in the Pacific and the need of the Royal Navy for a station in the region. Governor Anthony Musgrave proposed an attractive plan for joining Canada, with the Dominion paying off the B.C. debt and building a new Canadian transcontinental railway that would eliminate the reliance on the American transcontinental. Meanwhile, the United States was so focused on issues of Reconstruction, that few Americans picked up on Seward's grand dream to expand Manifest Destiny to the Pacific.

Entry into Canada (1871-1900)

Both the depressed economic situation arising from the collapse of the gold rushes, as well as a desire for the establishment of truly responsible and representative government, led to enormous domestic pressure for British Columbia to join the Canadian Confederation, which had been proclaimed in 1867. The Confederation League, spearheaded by three future premiers of the province — Amor De Cosmos, Robert Beaven, and John Robson — took a leading role in pushing the colony towards this goal. And so it was on July 20, 1871, that British Columbia became the sixth province to join Canada. In return for entering Confederation, Canada absorbed B.C.'s massive debt, and promised to build a railway from Montreal to the Pacific coast within 10 years. In fulfillment of this promise, the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in Craigellachie in 1885."
 
If the Us had annexed BC what would the long term effects on Canada and the British Empire be?
 
An American BC would also probably lead to something of a ego-enginering hydro-power wank, as there would be less politics needed for mega damns.
 
Two is even pushing it.

Indeed.
I could see it being split into a state of Victoria (given Victoria historically was a seperate colony) and Columbia, but that's it; even today the northern 75% of British Columbia only has 322,189 (7.3%) of the provinces 4.4 million people, and the Northern half even fewer.
 
I doubt that they could annex what land makes up the modern Yukon because that boarder wasn't created until the 1890s when the Alasken gold rush lead to americans makeing claims over the boarder into that territory. Perhaps if the USA annexes BC first then the Canadian gov. will move faster to create new boarders add the territories around BC to Canada but this would then prevent the USA from getting any more land around there. So as far as I can tell a strip of coastal territory is all they'll get to connect to Alaska.
If they don't have BC or Alaska, getting to the Yukon would be extremely difficult for the British. It would be pretty useless to them. Don't see them expending much effort to get it.
 
If they don't have BC or Alaska, getting to the Yukon would be extremely difficult for the British. It would be pretty useless to them. Don't see them expending much effort to get it.
The problem that I have with the US gaining the Yukon is that it was part of the Northwestern territory sold to Canada in 1868 and incorporated in 1870 and was not a separate area like BC or Alaska which the US could annex or purchase without the rest of the North western territory. As well I'm not sure if the government of Canada would be willing to give up any more land to the US if it looses its chance at BC. What situations do you believe would be necessary for the US to gain the Yukon region. Do you think that Canada would be willing to sell it to the US? Also what might the Yukon's alternate boarders look like?

One alternate situation I could imagine arises from the information I read that the delay in incorperatiing the Northwestern territories into Canada arose from the Red River rebellion. Maybe if the Rebellion lasted longer American prospectors surveying the BC-Alasken boarder could make claims further into the Yukon which Canada would not be able to combat due to their focus on the Rebellion and may have to concede the claims later on. Ideas?
 
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