# Could the Revolutionary War have been avoided? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334 "2000-10-02T13:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WIGGUM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WIGGUM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WIGGUM)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/1 "2000-10-02T13:51:00Z")
It seems that the main beef that the Colonial Americans had with England is that they were being unfairly taxed without any representation in Parliament (i.e. The Stamp Act, The Townshend Act and the Tea Act). Could the Revolutionary War have been avoided by giving the colonists a voice in the British Government rather than piling one Act after another on the colonists without any say in what violated their liberties? If this had been the case, might the U.S.A. have still been a part of England today? ---
**Author:** ![Akatsukami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/2 "2000-10-02T14:25:14Z")
Well, maybe. They say that anything is possible except skiing through a revolving door. It seems unlikely, though. The smashing success in North America of the British in the French and Indian (or Seven Years’) War removed the primary cause of the colonies’ loyalty to Britain (there was no longer a credible threat to them, so they no longer needed British military power to protect them). The various Acts would likely have been passed by parliament even if Americans had had direct representation (it should be noted that the British theory of “virtual representation” wasn’t too far from the reality; Britain was _not_ even remotely democratic at the time), as the British had considerable interest in reasserting meaningful authority over what they perceived as out-of-control colonists. There was a difference between political perceptions and realities, too; the Declaration of Independence is full of references to the tyranny of George III, but it can argued that the only reason that he wasn’t (at the time) a puppet of the Whig oligarchy was that he had recruited the Tory oligarchy by bribery and patronage. Unless we stipulate considerable changes in attitude on the part of numerous Britons and Americans, I don’t see that the Revolution could have been avoided. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/3 "2000-10-02T15:37:29Z")
A couple years back, I read a fascinating book on this subject. _The Two Georges_ started with the idea that the American Revolution was averted by having an elected member of the American colonies join George III’s Privy Council, essentially a cabinet position. The book was essentially a mystery novel about the ransoming of a famous painting, _The Two Georges_, and how it’s recovered in a world where the British empire has covered the world. The painting a celebration of George III greeting his newest Privy Council member, George Washington, fresh from the American Colonies. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/4 "2000-10-02T15:59:41Z")
As far as the U.S. still being part of England, it seems unlikely to me - IIRC, countries like Canada never revolted, but are nonetheless independent. Geographically, it seems unusual for a country to stay united when one part is separated from another, especially if the separated parts are large in population. For example, consider East and West Pakistan. I know that some countries control distant islands as part of their “empires,” but I wonder - if the island were big enough, would an “independence movement” develop? Keeping my eyes on Alaska . . . ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/5 "2000-10-02T16:33:26Z")
…and [Hawai’i](http://www.hawaii-nation.org)… * * * Rigardu, kaj vi ekvidos. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/6 "2000-10-02T16:52:31Z")
Could the colonies have not had a revolution? Maybe, but it would have been difficult. The problem wasn’t taxes per se, or even representation, but that basicly the colonies realized that they were on the wrong end of an imperial relationship. Britain’s political/economic practice at the time was Mercantalism, which had the practical effect of enriching Britain at America’s expense. Moreover, it would be hard to imagine two regions with such diametrically opposite interests. Virtually anything good for Britain was bad for the colonists, and vice-versa. Timing had a lot to do with it too. If the colonist’s grievances had been kept under control for another 20 years, the economic and political reforms in Britain would have largely satisfied the colonys’ demands. Even so, the Americans’ desire to expand their frontier would have led to a lot of friction, unless Britain gave up and adopted an attitude of basicly letting the colonies do what they wanted. Ultimately, Britain would have had to face the problem of America becoming “the tail that wagged the dog” with respect to the Empire. ---
**Author:** ![KeithB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@KeithB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithB)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/7 "2000-10-02T17:48:39Z")
I suggest you read “The March of Folly” by Barbara Tuchman. She maintains, in the chapter on the Revolution, that it was British woodenheadedness that caused the revolt. She pointed out that from the very beginning, compromises were on the table that would have defused the whole thing. In fact, a delegation was turned away that was going to say: “Look, we know that we owe the crown some taxes. You guys just tell us how much, and we (the individual colonies legislatures) will raise it as we see fit.” ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/8 "2000-10-02T19:02:35Z")
Hey, taxation **with** representation isn’t so great either. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-revolutionary-war-have-been-avoided/35334/9 "2000-10-02T19:11:10Z")
I think it’s possible that the war could have been avoided, with a little less hotheaded rhetoric on either side. The fundamental problems of separation and poor communication were inevitably going to lead to the colonies’ essentially-independent conduct, as several previous posters have pointed out. I’ve seen it stated that the best estimates of popular opinion in America at the time were that a third of the people were for independence, a third against it, and a third were more interested in their own welfare than their colony’s. There had to have been a powerful bandwagon effect, too. Once underway, the war itself was very nearly lost on a number of occasions anyway. A bad break here or there and the Continental Army would have scattered and Washington, Adams, et al. would have wound up chained in the Tower. It’s easy to point to Canada and say “They stayed loyal - are they worse off?” But that overlooks the amount that the Canadian political climate has owed to the influx of Loyalist refugees during and after the Revolution. Those folks with their intense loyalty (and hatred of the people who forced them out of their homes) formed a pretty large percentage of the Canadian population of the early 1800’s, and their heritage persists today. One can also say that Canada kept its early coherence due to a common fear of conquest by the hated American rabble. In fact, American forces DID invade Canada during the Revolution (capturing Montreal) and War of 1812 (Toronto this time). That common fear of American domination seems to be present today there, as well. I’ll second the recommendation of Barbara Tuchman’s “The March of Folly” as well.