Timeline of the The Canadian Revolution

Author says: what if the American Revolution had failed and the principles had headed north into Canada to continue to rebellion? muses Robbie Taylor. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).

On March 23^rd,Virginian Patrick Henry declares before the Virginia Convention, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

The British governor, incensed at this presumption, has Henry arrested and executed. His death becomes a rallying point for American revolutionaries, and his famous words become the motto of the new United States of America.

On March 27^th,Virginian rebel Thomas Jefferson is denied a seat on the Continental Congress that the American revolutionaries have established.

Jefferson's energy and eloquence shortly became directed towards the Canadian Independence movement, where he helped design their parliamentary structure as well as their founding documents.

On April 18^th,British forces score a victory when they capture a pair of colonial spies, Paul Revere and William Dawes, before they are able to warn rebels at Concord and Lexington of their approach.

On May 24^th, Bostonian John Hancock was elected president of the Continental Congress by a mere 3 votes, showing how thin support for the rebel cause was.

Although Hancock used his time in office to declare the independence of the American colonies, by 1778 he was ousted in favor of the more conciliatory John Jay, who negotiated a peace with the British.

On June 16^th, rebel colonial forces were routed by the British at the Battle of Breed's Hill near Boston, Massachusetts.

Rebel commander George Washington was almost captured, and the rebel army was thrown into disarray.

Virtually all colonials gave up the idea of freedom at that point, with only a few hardcore rebels failing to acknowledge that the fight was over. They manage to battle on another 4 years, but never win another engagement.

On June 17^th, American rebels faced off against British troops led by General William Howe at Breed's Hill in Massachusetts. After his first charge against the rebel position was met with a volley of repelling fire, Howe organized a second, which met with just as little success.

Not knowing that the Americans were low on ammunition, General Howe ordered a retreat from the position, giving the day to the Americans. His superiors felt that he had given up Breed's Hill too easily, and recalled him to England, where he angrily resigned his commission, saying, "Am I to be a wizard, that I should know the state of the enemy's supplies?" Howe had been personally opposed to the war against the colonies to begin with, and this reprimand encouraged him to join Parliament and push for reconciliation with the Americans. He was one of the driving forces in British government that accepted the proposals of American President John Jay and led to the end of the war and America's partial autonomy from British rule.

December 31^st,Governor Sir Guy Carleton sued for peace as British defenders of the city of Quebec in Canada laid down their weapons to patriot forces under generals Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery.

A blizzard had made the city indefensible, and privately, the British had lost interest in staying in Canada due to the country's inclement weather.

December 31^st,American rebels Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery break down the resistance in Quebec; at the end, the citizens of Quebec had turned on the British soldiers in the city. Arnold and Montgomery were soon training Canadian forces to fight the British, and when the American rebellion collapsed, were welcomed to Canada as heroes.

A blizzard had made the city indefensible, and privately, the British had lost interest in staying in Canada due to the country's inclement weather.

Part 2: The Revolt Heads North

May 23rd, 1777,one of the rebels' few victories was scored against the British when Colonel Meigs and his Connecticut raiders sacked Sag Harbor, New York, capturing some vessels and supplies.

These were transferred to the Canadian independence movement after Meigs was ordered to surrender to the British in 1778, and some of the ships Meigs captured were even used in the Battle of Hudson Bay to defeat their former masters.

May 12^th, 1780, the Canadian independence movement is dealt a severe blow when General Richard Perceval and over 10,000 of his men are forced to surrender at Fredericton.

British General Henry Clinton had amassed a major force to overwhelm the Canadians since the cessation of hostilities with the lower colonies, and put them to good use against the rebel stronghold at Fredericton.

April 24^th, 1781, former American general Benedict Arnold, now fighting for the Canadians, clashes with British General William Phillips at the Battle of Hudson Bay.

Phillips had wanted to establish a fort that he could begin moving troops from to strike at any point in Canada, but Arnold saved Canadian independence by defeating him soundly and driving his forces back to sea.

April 17^th, 1790, American exile Benjamin Franklin dies in Montreal. Although he had been active in the Canadian Independence movement and had helped with the final negotiations in that war, his heart was with his native America, and he wanted his body to rest in his home colony of Pennsylvania.

Although it took many years, his family were finally able to bring him home to rest in American soil.

Composer Francis Hopkinson had been one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence, and when the rebellion's hopes were crushed by Jay's ascension in the previous decade, Hopkinson followed thousands of others north to the Canadian independence movement.

Author says to view guest historian's comments on this thread please visit the Today in Alternate History web site.

Imagine what would be, if history had occurred a bit differently. Who says it didn't, somewhere? These fictional news items explore that possibility. Possibilities such as America becoming a Marxist superpower, aliens influencing human history in the 18th century and Teddy Roosevelt winning his 3rd term as president abound in this interesting fictional blog.