gazza64

Hi,

As it`s coming up to July 4th again, my mind had a "what if " moment today!

"What if" you had a time machine and could go back to the war of independence, what side would you have chosen knowing what we know now? The Brits or Americans? What side and why? Would you be a patriot Brit or fight for the plucky Colonials?

Let battle commence!

cindyabs

My family already did their bit, mainly on the plucky side.

I did have the odd French/Dutch line that fought as patriotic Brits. Go figure that out.

gazza64

Although i consider myself to be an patriotic Englishman, i think i would chosen the American side just because of the basic reasons involved in the first place. IE freedom to make ones own decisons.

SagenOnion

I would pick the American side so that my future ancestors don't have to deal with those USCIS bastards 200 years later.

gazza64

Amen to that!

surly

My choice would be with the rebels. They had right on their side, then I have always been anti Monarchy.
The creation of the USA has been one of the most important event in world history.

gazza64

Surly, i agree wiith you. I`m proud to be English, but i`m not a royalist in anyway shape or form.

surly

We had our chance in 1649 and blew it.

nettlebed

Me too. I agree entirely with the last sentence.

I believe that Oliver Cromwell was probably the greatest English statesman who ever lived. Unfortunately he had the misfortune to be around a century ahead of his time in terms of political though in Europe.

I would love to have seen what he would have been able to achieve had he been one of the Founders of the USA.

janet82

Apart from what he did to the Irish. Agree about the anti monarchy bit though.

lapin_windstar

Glad you pointed that out!

I can't see how anyone looking in retrospect would not choose the American side - I mean, not only did they have the better ideas and land, but they won! Who wants to be on the losing side?

nettlebed

Venturing into modern political territory here, but it amazes me that successive US administrations never seem to have learned from the successful insurgency practiced by their C18th ancestors that an imperial force attempting to subdue an overseas country that doesn't want them almost never works.

cindyabs

To be fair, nobody picked up on the cue starting from the Roman Empire.

nettlebed

Right, but my point was that we USAians make such a big thing of the irregular (they should have been on Ex-Lax?) minutemen beating the oh-so mighty British troops, that the comparison should be more obvious...

cindyabs

Speaking as a descendant of the irregulars, one at Valley Forge, one at Saratoga, one a Minuteman and a few others elsewhere, I understand your point. Mine was that nobody ever seems to cotton on to avoid falling into that pit of self delusion. The powers that be, past and present always think that their way of life is what everyone else should want, ergo, let's show 'em how it's done. This is also most helpful in masking the "looting" or at the very least controlling of any resources to be found in the new found lands.