Children of a Common Mother

[dolari]

One of the more interesting things about having a Canadian girlfriend is realizing how different the histories of our countries are, despite being neighbors, and essentially offshoots of the British Empire. (Why yes, I'm watching Liberty's Kids, why do you ask?)

When we were visiting the Peace Arch, on the border between Blaine, Washington and Surrey, BC, one of the inscriptions on there was "Children of a Common Monther" meaning both our countries started as British Colonies. I joked "The thing is, the US is that rebellious daughter than yells at her restrictive parents, runs away from home, drops out of school, finds a trailer, kicks out the original inhabitants, then wins the lottery. You know, Anna Nicole Smith."

I'm an American, but also a Texan (and often tell people I'm a Texan first, American second (OR Austinite first, Texan second and American third). The histories I've been taught about the creation of America and Texas were both Wars of Independence, a war fought from 1776-1781 for America and 1836-1837 for the Texas.

In Texas' case, despite the capital shuffling around every three or four weeks and an archive war that kept the capital in Austin after everyone else had left for Houston and a lot of arguing with Mexico and US annexation, it was pretty stable, pretty quick. One of the things I'd love to read about is how the Texas Revolution is taught in Mexico. :)

The US's was a lot more tumultuous - going up against Britain, then struggling with a confederation of 13 nations, and finally getting some of it's act together by 1787 with the Constitution. Again, I'd love to know how Britain teaches this point in history. :)

Living in an South Texas city that has a hispanic majority, you hear a lot of stories about Latin Amercian countries, each having revolutions, or being founded in revolution. So I grew up thinking every country got their independence through some kind of revolt or independence. Throwing off the shackles, as it were.

But talking with Emily, I learned Canada didn't have a revolution, but had a long slow process towards independence. At first my head had trouble wrapping around this...like the open border between the US and Canada, I'd only ever seen the militarized border between Mexico and Texas. I'd only ever heard of Independence through revolution.

From what I understand (and you Canadians feel free to educate me) Canada had it's issues, yes, but had a much more amicable relationship with Britain, and independence came in a long slow process from 1860s to 1930s by granting Canada more and more self-rule. Their links with Britain are much stronger than ours, and their culture, while Canadian, was decidedly more British than ours.

The more I learn about the differences between the US and Canada, the more I see it as a model of what the US might have ended up as had we not had the Revolutionary War (or lost the war). Imagine a US made up of three or four nations (Prolly New England, Virginia, Ohio and The South, the rest being Canada and Mexico), and while the culture would be nominally the same, governments would most likely be Parliaments, we'd all be subjects under the Queen (although as Queen of Wherever we Lived), independent but not nearly as long as we have been. Prolly a fair bit more liberal, too. ;)

Just some imagining of an alternate history. One day I'll write about the three-nation-world we all could be living in had the US not gotten into WW2 and remained isolationist. :)

Now for some Captain N before I go home. Sadly, the best thing I do on Saturdays is SLEEP FOR AS LONG AS I WANT. :)

This long rambling stream of consciousness brought to you by "Lack of Sleep." "Lack of Sleep." Making you look like a babbling moron for 4.8 Billion Years.

Comments

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

We're very different. You folks got "Life, ligerty and the pursuit of happiness". We got "Peace, order and strong government". And Mounties.

I like the parallel world concept. Have you read Harry Harrison's A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! (http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/n13.htm)?

[salamanders.livejournal.com]

I wonder how Canada would have turned out if America had evolved into a country the same way we did, since part of Canadian culture is the fun of pointing out we aren't like Americans *chuckle*

[says-simon.livejournal.com]

You might like lovecraftienne's journal.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

You folks got "Life, ligerty and the pursuit of happiness"

And if I ever learn to type, you'd have liberty.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

I heartily second this recommendation.

[red-pill.livejournal.com]

lol, to ansere one of your qustions, the american revoultion is tought by avoiding it, at least betwen entering school and the end of complusery eduction (and 2 years clear of complusery history). i sat it intill i was sixteen, and it covered the world wars, the empire, the swinging twnetys (in the us) and...er...i cant rember. lol

but the american reovultion. not touched. at all. it might be an option at degree, but...

[frankie23.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'll find this article and its offshoots to be educational:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNA_Act

[jenndolari.livejournal.com]

Texas had a version of the Mounties when we were a Republic. The Texas Rangers were a nationwide police force, just like the RCMP. The Rangers still serve the same function, except now they're statewide cause the Republic's been annexed (the Rangers are oddly attached to the Departmetn of Transportation for some reason).

And no, I haven't read that book - lookins interesting, though.

[jandanadur.livejournal.com]

The closest I think I ever heard in my years at school in the UK was 'technically, the American revolution was an act of blasphemy' - the root of this would have been that our Monarch was 'God-given' and so revolution against a God-given ruler was thought to be counter to God's Will. In truth, the word 'heresy' is probably closer.

It gets glossed over. I have been given to wonder why America revolted and Canada didn't, but it probably has a lot to do with internal politics and taxes. Or maybe it was the intervention of the French, deciding that the US was lost to them and so they didn't want us having it. That still doesn't explain Canada, but maybe the French still thought they could manage to win it over. (which might explain Quebec)

[aspasia13.livejournal.com]

You get into some interesting territory when you consider alternate histories, like if the American Colonies had not revolted. In fact there were many of the founding fathers of the US who had been proud to be English citizens of the British Empire, but wanted to be treated by the Rights of Englishmen as defined by the Magna Carta. They wanted a voice in government rather than having laws dictated to them (hence the "No Taxation Without Representation" call).

While the American Revolution clearly had an effect on the US (like, causing its existence :D) it also had an effect globally. The old European Empires were all in financial trouble, mostly due to the many wars which had been fought. In fact, the very taxes that inspired the war was partially introduced to help alleviate the debt incurred by the "French and Indian War" (known in England as the "Seven Years War").

France, under Monarchy rule at the time, supported the Colonials in their fight for independence. This further increased France's massive debt. This debt is one of the main causes for the French Revolution. But ironically the Americans espoused ideals of representation was also a source of inspiration for many leaders of the French Revolution, and became an inspiration for the French constitution.

But the revolution also inspired the British and Irish members of the Whigs to endorse the colonials, and helped inspire their own movements against the government. Many other independence movements took the American revolution as a lesson in how to change the Old European rule, and was just the first success of a series of independence movements in the Americas over the following decades. It also shifted British focus on colonies in the orient.

But it also had an influence on Canada, as many British loyalists fled the newly formed US for British-controlled Canada. This influx of pro-British citizens helped shape Canada's policies and influence it to become the country it is today (some interesting information can be gleaned at http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/expo/background_e.html).

So if you do consider an alternative history, consider that much of the world might be very different.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

(the Rangers are oddly attached to the Departmetn
of Transportation for some reason)
Probably to ensure safe transportation of goods, especially cattle : )