Editor says, what if John Calhoun had led a second unsuccessful bid for American independence? muses Eric Lipps. Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).

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Editor says, this event never occurred at all in our history. It's a "butterfly" following the collapse of the American Revolution in the 1770s because of Southern rejection of the Declaration of Independence.

Todayinah Ed. commented on 2012-03-01 21:35:57 ~ I have been reading Liberty Fails thread for years, but only reading this article tonight it occurred to me the consequences of an "Angry Eagle" hence the choice of picture.

Robbie Taylor commented on 2012-03-02 03:16:36 ~ Headed for the Caribbean - always a thorn in the side of the British Empire.

Jeff Provine commented on 2012-03-02 15:33:48 ~ Tariffs might be enough for a war. Anything that hits people in their pocketbooks is enough to act.

Eric Oppen commented on 2012-03-02 17:53:31 ~ So what was New England doing? And did they have some sort of local "Congress" (one loyal to Britain, of course) to levy taxes?

Eric Lipps commented on 2012-03-03 13:26:23 ~ The "states' rights" Confederates cared about were their rights to own, buy and sell African-Americans. This is made abundantly clear by (1) demands after the 1860 election that its outcome be ignored and a pro-slavery candidate (there were three candidates, of varying persuasions, besides Lincoln) installed as president; (2) the secession resolutions of such states as South Carolina, which stated baldly that protecting slavery was the reason for leaving the Union; and (3) the Confederate constitution, which explicitly prohibited the passage of any law "denying or impairing the right of property in Negro slaves." The slaveholding South certainly didn't care about the "states' rights" of Northern states: in the 1850s they demanded that the federal government send in troops if necessary to force the surrender of runaway slaves residing in free states. As for South Carolina standing alone, that was during the "nullification crisis" in our history, a few years prior to the Insurrection in this timeline. In this timeline, the entire South faced a threat to its most cherished institution due to Britain's decision to ban slavery throughout the Empire. And as for New England, its states, or rather colonies (remember, this alternate America is still under British rule) contribute troops to fight the Insurrection alongside the British. While independence sentiment remains, in this instance it's trumped by offense at the South's choice to rebel to keep slavery.