What if each colony still existed in some form?

[xzmattzx]

There are actually a lot of colonies in North America that we don't really read about any more, or we read about but don't stop to think about them actually existing.

For instance, the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts: we call it the Plymouth Colony because it was its own colony. Most people know that already in a way, but don't really stop to think that Plymouth was separate from Massachusetts (then called Massachusetts Bay Colony) for a time in the 1600s.

So what if all of these colonies that merged or became part of "modern-day" colonies that ended up as states or provinces still existed in some form?

What if the southern part of Massachusetts was its own state, Plymouth?

What if New Haven Colony and Saybrook Colony never became part of the colony of Connecticut? How many people even know New Haven and Saybrook were separate colonies at all, even for a short time?

Could you imagine driving through up to seven states between New York City and Boston? Start in New York, cross into New Haven, then into Saybrook, then into Connecticut, then into Rhode Island, then into Plymouth, before entering Massachusetts?

What if Cape Breton Island remained separate from Nova Scotia?

What if East Jersey and West Jersey remained split and never became New Jersey?

What if national landholdings carried over into colonial borders? What if northern Delaware was separate from southern Delaware (Swedes and Dutch)?

These are just some examples. What would the North American continent look like if it was still so fragmented?

[Centropolis]

new france, babay

[aufbau]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

What if East Jersey and West Jersey remained split and never became New Jersey?

Then there wouldn't be the long-standing argument between the Jerseys whether "Central Jersey" exists. I guess Pork Roll Jersey and Taylor Ham Jersey would be more defined.

[hauntedheadnc]

Meanwhile, the State of Franklin pines whistfully.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

Meanwhile, the State of Franklin pines whistfully.

I wonder if Franklin would've been a more southern version of West Virginia, tucked away in the mountains and all. Agriculture surely would not have been a big industry early on, like in West Virginia, so it may have evolved the same way, relying on the timber and coal industries in the late 19th century after little growth beforehand.

[MolsonExport]

[Steely Dan]

^ Did the French just royally screw the pooch in North America, or were the Brits (and their Yankee spawn) simply way fucking better at empire?

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Did the French just royally screw the pooch in North America, or were the Brits (and their Yankee spawn) simply way fucking better at empire?

To be fair, I don't think there were so many French to screw anybody out there. There were explorers and adventurers seeking fun and glory, but whatever reason, not so many people from our country moved over there, while the "New France" territory was huge and full of natural wealth.

The thing is life may have been easier to "peasants", even for the past 4 centuries over here, because our own country is quite fertile. Plus, whenever the people would come short of food, they would riot against the monarchy instead of moving.

That's always what they've done here. They don't move. They behead the establishment instead.

[Shawn]

xzmattzx, more relevant to where you're from: what if the Swedes had been able to actually keep their Delaware colony?

Or imagine for a second that the Russians never sold Alaska?

Or if Congress hadn't had to deal with balancing the number of Slave vs Free states and Cuba's statehood requests had been granted?

How seriously did Newfoundland consider joining the US after WWII? That whole Economic Union Party and all?

[Hudson11]

*Jenkins and his severed ear disliked that*

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Shawn

Or if Congress hadn't had to deal with balancing the number of Slave vs Free states and Cuba's statehood requests had been granted?

Cubs as a US state would've been something.

It ain't no little piddly Puerto Rico, it's the 18th largest island on the planet, some 40,000 sq. miles of Caribbean paradise. Roughly the land area of Ohio. And like Ohio, it's home to over 11,000,000 people.

And had it been a US state, it's population today might be double that from frost-belt migrants.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Cubs as a US state would've been something.

It ain't no little piddly Puerto Rico, it's the 18th largest island on the planet, some 40,000 sq. miles of Caribbean paradise. Roughly the land area of Ohio. And like Ohio, it's home to over 11,000,000 people.

And had it been a US state, it's population today might be double that from frost-belt migrants.

And Havana would probably be gutted by freeways.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

And Havana would probably be gutted by freeways.

Yeah, Havana certainly wouldn't have been improved, from an urban form perspective, by being Americanized.

But Cuba as a whole, as a US state (most likely in the top 5 in terms of population), it would've been a serious powerhouse.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

lets back the train up to when louisiana (the BIG louisiana with st. louis and the western midwest) and “the illinois country” sent their children to school in montreal and roll that sucker forward. yeah it was owned by spain for decades but everyone spoke french and even had a battle with the brits from a medieval style stone tower in st. louis.



without st louis, st charles, and the rest of the francophone areas in missouri with the mines, and of course new orleans region the illinois country and the rest of that now american territory was dead in the water.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I'd be fine if in an alternate quantum timeline Chicago/Illinois were part of greater Quebec.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Everybody in NYC - which would still be called New Amsterdam - would be speaking Dutch.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by sentinel

I'd be fine if in an alternate quantum timeline Chicago/Illinois were part of greater Quebec.

chicago would probably be fucked in this timeline, but who knows.

there would still be a city at the southern tip of lake michigan but the inertia of st. louis and new orleans ties to montreal would change the game...or rather it would not have changed.

it was new york finance that power assisted the rise of chicago over the st. louis/new orleans economic regime in the mississippi valley. st. louis was building railroads further west and south of chicago but kept running out of money. the river vs rails theory was sort of a myth.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by mousquet

To be fair, I don't think there were so many French to screw anybody out there. There were explorers and adventurers seeking fun and glory, but whatever reason, not so many people from our country moved over there, while the "New France" territory was huge and full of natural wealth.

The thing is life may have been easier to "peasants", even for the past 4 centuries over here, because our own country is quite fertile. Plus, whenever the people would come short of food, they would riot against the monarchy instead of moving.

That's always what they've done here. They don't move. They behead the establishment instead.

Except the Huguenots. Many Americans with French ancestry, their French ancestors were Huguenots.

[edale]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

chicago would probably be fucked in this timeline, but who knows.

there would still be a city at the southern tip of lake michigan but the inertia of st. louis and new orleans ties to montreal would change the game...or rather it would not have changed.

it was new york finance that power assisted the rise of chicago over the st. louis/new orleans economic regime in the mississippi valley. st. louis was building railroads further west and south of chicago but kept running out of money. the river vs rails theory was sort of a myth.

When are we talking about here? Because Cincinnati was a larger city before St. Louis, and it never had this French connection to Montreal and New Orleans. St. Louis leapfrogged Cincy because it became the new western gateway as the population moved west. They were then eclipsed by Chicago thanks to rail and the NYC financing.

[IMBY]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Cubs as a US state would've been something.

It ain't no little piddly Puerto Rico, it's the 18th largest island on the planet, some 40,000 sq. miles of Caribbean paradise. Roughly the land area of Ohio. And like Ohio, it's home to over 11,000,000 people.

And had it been a US state, it's population today might be double that from frost-belt migrants.

At one time, the U.S. had an option to buy Cuba from Spain for $10 Million, and back then, that was a big chunk of $$. Instead, we pursued the Philippines which we ruled for decades.