Ask Lemmy

More complex relations with American Indians:

• In modern day Canada there was much more cross cultural marriage and contact between the American Indians and settlers. You had larger Metis communities, and the settlers were fewer in number and lived in smaller settlements that had more day to day contact with American Indians. Meanwhile, in the 13 colonies, one of the key causes of the rebellion was that the British had ruled out colonial expansion west of the Appalachians. Also, by even this early point many Amerindian tribes had been pushed out of this eastern area, and were more seen as a threat than people to cohabit with.

More complex relations with the French:

• The 13 Colonies were eager for French support against the British from an early point. However, a lot of modern day Canada had been French territory ceeded to the British following the 7 Years War, prior to which there had been much raiding and fighting between the French and British settlers and indeed allied Indian Nations.

Didn't have a new ruling elite in waiting to give it equal footing in an independent North America:

• The colonial elite of the 13 colonies were much wealthier and generally better travelled and tied into global networks than the elite of the provinces in modern day Canada. They were further from being economically independent, and ceeding from Britain would have made them entirely dependent on the poorer, but much closer colonies to the south, which would've greatly limited their political power making them more client than fully independent.

So that's the longer version. Please help correct my misunderstandings and mistakes.