Imagine a timeline where colonies got representation. Whole war could have been skipped or massively delayed.
Insane, isn’t it? I wonder if it would be a better timeline or worse. I could see it going either way, tbh.
Explanation: In order to defend and expand their American colonies, the British Empire actually invested a good deal of money and manpower to colonial affairs. Admittedly, largely against their traditional foes in France and Spain.
The American Revolution itself was largely triggered by tensions over taxation - the British Empire felt it was entitled to recoup its expenses from the colonials, while colonials felt that being taxed by a government body which did not represent them at all was a violation of their rights as Englishmen.
Both sides were, to some degree, correct - certainly, the British Empire could not simply subsidize the defense (or offense, as the case may be) of the American colonies as a matter of pure magnanimity towards the colonials. But also certainly, the colonials were entitled to representation (even in its limited, 18th century parliamentary form) as subjects of the Crown, and expecting them to enforce laws that they had no say in making was very much against the notions of modern, Enlightenment-era government popular in the period.
A number of British MPs actually agreed with the assessment of the Americans (if not necessarily the solution of ‘Shoot some redcoats’), and attempted to allow American representatives to be elected to Parliament, a position which the American Revolutionaries were willing to lay down their arms over. However, the majority opinion in Parliament was that the colonials should be content with ‘virtual representation’ - meaning “We in Europe will totally represent your interests, pinky-promise, so you filthy colonials don’t actually NEED any elected representatives with voting power.”
Citizens of Washington DC and Puerto Rico get taxed without actually getting to vote too today so there’s that founding principle
DC residents regularly have that irony on their license plate.
Puerto Rico is a… strange situation, wherein there’s never been a clear answer as to whether independence, the status quo, or statehood is preferred by Puerto Ricans, so the status quo simply drags on.
That being said, they do at least get to skip out on income taxes because of the status quo position.
DC isn’t supposed to be a real place people actually live; it’s supposed to be the neutral seat of government only. DC residents don’t have their own Congressional rep because (the theory was) every Congressperson represents them, since they all live there a large part of the year. Giving them their own dedicated rep would be unfair in their favor.
But DC has become its own city, not only government center. People live there, and they shouldn’t have to move to be represented properly
Frankly, maybe they should carve the Federal district down to just the immediate area around the Federal buildings and give the rest back to Maryland.
Maybe. I think Virginia gave also part of it and I wouldn’t split the city in half. The people should maybe get to vote on it. Although I do not see the issue in making them a state, as there are states with a much smaller population
I think Virginia gave also part of it and I wouldn’t split the city in half.
That already happened, back in 1847.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession
AFAIK, Puerto Rico doesn’t even get to trade with whoever they want. It does look a lot like a 18th century colony.
But I thought DC people voted for president and Congress.
They do, but it’s a bit complicated.
America has their revolution
France seeing it: “hmmm… I like what you did there…”
The French: Hmm, we get to help a revolution AND beat up on the English? Hell le fuck OUI!
