Q&A ยท 37:54-39:41

How an American Canada changes the War of 1812

Without Canada as a land theatre, the War of 1812 becomes primarily naval and forces the United States to contemplate an Atlantic invasion.

Question

How would the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 change if Canada joined the United States?

Short answer

Britain might fight harder for Canada's resources during the Revolution, while the War of 1812 would become chiefly naval because the United States would lack a Canadian land frontier to invade.

Notes

An American Canada would probably mean several additional states and a very different Revolutionary War. Canada supplied fisheries, Hudson's Bay Company resources, and strategic value that could make Britain fight longer rather than simply abandon the colony. In 1812, removing the Canadian frontier eliminates the United States' preferred land objective and turns the conflict much more decisively toward naval warfare. Any direct invasion of British territory would then require an Atlantic crossing with serious operational and political costs.