General Discussion

Had cooler heads prevailed. If the Whigs happened to still be in power through the 1770's. Had Lord North not had his head in his rear. The taxes imposed on American colonists were much lower than on their peers in the mother country. Our ancestors just didn't have a say in the matter. That was the real rub.

And then there was the colonial merchants and monied interests stirring up trouble. A problem even then. But still, it was a hugely expensive matter bringing the French to heel in the Seven Years War and protecting the American colonies from French and allied incursions. It was only fair that we chipped in. And less so than our counterparts in London. Looking at it from this angle, our reasons for divorce were initially pretty weak soup. Slowness of communication and hard headedness on both sides cause it to spiral out of control.

The spark was pig headedness and miscommunication. Not quite the noble beginning we're sometimes led to believe.