Why did Britain lose the war over America's independence?

[WhoWee]

Conrad Black's speculation that the British would have abolished slavery had the "colonies" remained within the British Empire is not well founded. Britain's huge textile industry benefited enormously from the cheap high quality cotton produced in the American South. When the Civil War began, the Palmerston government considered a Confederate victory inevitable although Britain remained "officially" neutral. A war between the US and Britain nearly broke out over the Trent Affair in late 1861. Palmerston sent 11,000 troops to Canada. American slavery was good for British industry.

To emphasize your point, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 freed slaves below the age of 6 - over 6 slaves were reclassified as "apprentices" and some served until 1840.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_Abolition_Act_1833

Jefferson died in 1826 - as did Adams - a few hours apart.
http://www.biography.com/articles/Thomas-Jefferson-9353715
http://www.american-presidents.com/john-adams
"On July 4, 1826, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, he died at Quincy, after uttering the famous last words "Thomas Jefferson still survives." (Unbeknownst to Adams, Thomas Jefferson had died a few hours earlier). "

 

[SW VandeCarr]

To emphasize your point, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 freed slaves below the age of 6 - over 6 slaves were reclassified as "apprentices" and some served until 1840.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_Abolition_Act_1833

[/I]

Yes. Note that the act contained exceptions including the huge East India Company which ruled over all of India (including present day Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia and Singapore.

Despite its official neutrality Britain, supplied the Confederacy with fast well built blockade runners which ran between Southern US ports and Great Britain bringing vital supplies to the South. Uniformed British officers were attached to Confederate military units as "observers". The Trent Affair itself involved Confederate agents aboard British ships and Canada swarmed with Confederates engaged in war related activities including a brief "invasion" of Vermont.

http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/vt.html

EDIT: During and after the American Civil War, Britain got most of its cotton from India.

 

[epenguin]

A recent history of the American losers of whom

“80,000 quit the new republic for Britain, the British colonies in the Caribbean and especially for Canada, where their influence has been lasting.”
(T.A.Edison was of that stock) reviewed here: http://www.economist.com/node/17848373?story_id=17848373

Hard to single out just one or two bits of this review (I think link feely accessible online only for limited time) but:

‘Mr Allen sees it as “a revolution that was also a civil war”.’

‘Like other civil wars, the American revolution was marked by brutality on a sickening scale. Both sides shot and hanged prisoners without mercy, and on at least two occasions Patriots enforced the gruesome punishment of hanging, drawing and quartering….
Patriotic legend remembers the violence of British officers, but rebel officers, including General Washington himself, could be ruthless when policy recommended it.’

 

[WhoWee]

A recent history of the American losers of whom

“80,000 quit the new republic for Britain, the British colonies in the Caribbean and especially for Canada, where their influence has been lasting.” [/I]

Doesn't the 80,000 number seem a bit high (approx 3% of population)?

 

[turbo]

Doesn't the 80,000 number seem a bit high (approx 3% of population)?

Wiki puts the the number at about 2% of the total. The Wiki article is especially well-written and well referenced with explanatory notes. I'm inclined to trust its accuracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalist_(American_Revolution )

 

[WhoWee]

Wiki puts the the number at about 2% of the total. The Wiki article is especially well-written and well referenced with explanatory notes. I'm inclined to trust its accuracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalist_(American_Revolution )

The link wouldn't open? However, 2% represents about 50,000 people - if you don't count slaves. It's possible that some of these people would have left even if there hadn't been a war.

 

[turbo]

Wiki truncated the parentheses. Just click the link and select their suggested link (with parentheses) to get to the article.

 

[mheslep]

Conrad Black's speculation that the British would have abolished slavery had the "colonies" remained within the British Empire is not well founded. Britain's huge textile industry benefited enormously from the cheap high quality cotton produced in the American South. When the Civil War began, the Palmerston government considered a Confederate victory inevitable although Britain remained "officially" neutral. A war between the US and Britain nearly broke out over the Trent Affair in late 1861. Palmerston sent 11,000 troops to Canada. American slavery was good for British industry.

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

Never the less the then British empire abolished slavery throughout its remaining colonies in 1833.

edit: i see this was already addressed above.

 

[WhoWee]

Wiki truncated the parentheses. Just click the link and select their suggested link (with parentheses) to get to the article.

It worked and the wiki analysis sounds reasonable.