Why the Revolution Was Coming (With or Without Pontiac)

Pontiac's War led to the Proclamation of 1763, which led to 15 April 1775. The taxes and other actions were propaganda fodder. But not the Proclamation.

Why? Two colonial factions had eyes on land speculation in the Ohio Valley. The Pennsylvania faction included Benjamin Franklin. The Virginians had George Washington. When Parliament handed King George III the Proclamation, wealthy and powerful interests took the hit.

I have immense respect for both men, more for George than Benjamin. I think George redeemed himself in ways Ben never did.

But suppose you stop Pontiac before he starts. Instead of tribes coordinating across hundreds of miles, they're stopped cold in one decisive engagement. That's a key event in my series. Or what if Neolin's spiritualism cannot take root? What if different tribal factions can't agree on strategy?

No rebellion means no famous line on the map. Colonial settlement west of the Appalachians continues unchecked. Ben and George get rich off their Ohio Valley investments instead of fuming about royal betrayal.

But here's the thing about Americans: we rebel.

Most of our ancestors came here with a healthy disrespect for home authority. A desire to prove that given the right circumstances, we aren't victims but victors. We also picked up a dose of "we won't destroy you unless you mess with us." Just leave us alone, and nobody gets hurt.

By 1763, colonial America had been developing independently for a century. Generation after generation solved their own problems because help was months away by ship. Built their own governments because London was too distant. Fought their own wars because British regulars rarely showed up when needed.

The French and Indian War stripped away the one thing that guaranteed colonial loyalty. For over a century, colonists had needed British protection against French expansion from Canada. That existential threat kept them loyal.

You don't rebel against your protector when your neighbor wants to kill you.

But New France was gone. The security threat that made British protection essential was eliminated.

Without Pontiac's War, there would still be a United States. Maybe not one like we have today. The rebellion might have happened in 1785 when George was too old to be an effective commander. Maybe frustration between Pennsylvania and Virginia factions would have triggered it instead. Different path, same destination.

The fundamental problem wasn't specific British policies. It was a complete clash of worldviews.

The frontier created a different society. Life on the edge meant your birth didn't matter as much as your competence. You proved your worth through what you accomplished, not who your parents were. Influential Americans thought they'd earned the right to be treated as equals.

American colonies grew wealthy by siphoning money from Parliament through inflated contracts and currency manipulation. When Parliament sought to tax that money back while treating Americans as second-class citizens, they underscored the social rift between the two nations.

Class consciousness still exists in England in a way not found in America. Americans thought they deserved equal treatment, not subordinate status. And they had enough money to think they could do something about it.

Alternate history reveals the contingency that drives compelling fiction.

How do you stop Americans from rebelling when it's core to our character? The answer: you don't. Even with exotic technology, the clock of American Independence ticks.

To keep the two countries together, take extreme measures. Go completely outside what seemed historically prudent. That's what happens in the third book.