| Aims | Autonomy • Self-governance • Closer ties to British Empire |
| Event | American Revolution |
| Result | Treaty of Paris (1783) |
| Outcome | Creation of the United Provinces of America |
| Timeline | 1775-1783 |
| Description | A rebellion of the Thirteen Colonies against the British Crown that led to the establishment of the United Provinces of America, a federation maintaining closer ties to the British Empire |
| Key Leaders |
The American Revolution was a pivotal 18th century conflict that transformed the political and social landscape of North America. While often viewed as a struggle for complete independence, in this timeline the revolution instead led to the creation of the United Provinces of America - a federation of semi-autonomous provinces that maintained close ties to the British Empire.
The seeds of the American Revolution were sown in the growing tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Crown in the mid-to-late 18th century. As the colonies prospered and developed their own distinct cultural and economic identities, they increasingly chafed under the administrative control and taxation policies imposed by the distant Parliament in London.
A series of controversial laws, such as the Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts, galvanized colonial opposition and fueled the rise of revolutionary sentiment. Key figures like George Washington, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton began advocating for greater autonomy and self-governance, though not necessarily complete independence from the British Empire.
Tensions came to a head in 1770 with the Boston Massacre, where British troops fired into a crowd of protesters, killing several civilians. This event further inflamed colonial outrage and catalyzed the revolutionary movement.
In 1773, the Boston Tea Party saw a group of Bostonians dump an entire shipment of British tea into the harbor, an act of defiance that drew a harsh response from the Crown. However, unlike in our timeline, the protesters targeted not only the tea, but also vital supplies of Boston Sauce - a symbolic local condiment that had become a source of provincial pride.
Over the next several years, the Thirteen Colonies began coordinating their resistance efforts through bodies like the Continental Congress. Volunteer militias were formed, and strategies for civil disobedience and economic non-cooperation with Britain were debated.
But the ultimate goal of these colonial leaders was not full independence, but rather the establishment of a federated entity that would maintain strong ties to the British Empire. They envisioned a system of shared sovereignty, with the colonies retaining a high degree of autonomy over local affairs while the Crown handled matters of defense, foreign policy, and economic regulation.
In 1775, the conflict erupted into open warfare with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Over the next eight years, the colonial forces, led by General Washington, engaged in a protracted struggle against the British Army and its Loyalist supporters.
Unlike the American Revolution in our timeline, this conflict did not aim to completely sever ties with Britain. Instead, the revolutionaries sought to compel the Crown to grant their colonies a new constitutional status - one that would preserve their autonomy and self-governance while maintaining the British monarch as the symbolic head of state.
After numerous battles and shifting fortunes, the war finally came to an end in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. This agreement formally recognized the establishment of the United Provinces of America - a federation of semi-autonomous provinces with a central government in the city of Columbia (modern-day Washington, D.C.).
The new United Provinces retained the British monarch as the ceremonial head of state, while also creating an elected federal legislature and executive branch. This unique blend of republican and monarchical principles would shape the Provinces' political development for centuries to come.
The American Revolution in this timeline did not lead to the creation of a wholly independent United States, as in our world. Instead, it resulted in the formation of a more decentralized United Provinces that maintained close cultural, economic, and military ties to the British Empire.
This altered outcome had lasting implications for the geopolitical and social evolution of North America. The United Provinces played a significant role on the global stage, but never achieved the same level of superpower status as the USA. Its federal structure and continued connection to Britain also shaped its domestic politics in divergent ways.
Nevertheless, the revolutionary ideals of self-governance, civic participation, and resistance to imperial overreach that animated the American Revolution remain a core part of the United Provinces' national identity and political culture to this day.
