Were American colonists British?
Most of the very first colonists were from England, but they were soon followed by many from different European countries. You are referring to what historians term "British North America". The colonists from England are referred to as "Anglo Americans". They ceased to be strictly European once they established roots in the New World. Check out some of the maps on google to see where the French, British, Spanish etc. settled in the New World. The Spanish were concentrated in what is now Florida & later the western coast, the British were along the eastern coast, the Dutch had a strong hold in present day NY and CT, and the French were in areas such as Detroit, Quebec, and Louisiana. Watch the following video to help explain the history of colonization in America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Im20BAt... Edit: For those people confusing you, "The American colonists" were not all subjects of the British King. Only the British colonists were.
How did American Colonists benefit from being part of the British Empire?
Pilgrims were encouraged to colonize and were supplemented with goods from Investor Groups in England, supplies such as; iron, steel, cloth, paper, books, writing and other materials. Economy based upon trading of goods was established (although misused) with England, thereby establishing commerce. The Americans benefited by military support from the Brits as in the French and Indian Wars. This presumed (if not always actual) support provided a sense of security and safety for families; this they needed in order to pursue a promising lifestyle here in America. The Americans also benefited by cultural ways learned from English: academics, the family structure and fundamental beliefs, government, military and legal systems to name a few. Americans were and are still, loathe to credit England for much of the American cultural lifestyle, civic organization and industry which the Pilgrims brought with them and furthered upon here in Early America.
Were American born colonists part of the British Army?
No they were colonists, civilians
How did the american colonists feel about being a part of british empire?
They didn't like it. The most important thing to remember is that the British Empire 200-300 years ago was nothing like the U.K. today. A favorite term during that time was "No taxation without representation", which means that the colonists goods, both imported and exported, were being taxed at a very high rate, while at the same time, there were no colonists in the British Parliament to speak on behalf of the American colonists. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_taxation... Also, the fact that they really had no say in a new laws and taxes imposed on them, the British soldiers were pretty abusive to the colonists. The Boston Massacre, while not the first time something like that happened, it became tie tipping point. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Mass... The rest is history.
Part of the American colonists' anger towards Britain prior to the American Revolution stemmed from the fact that..?
A) colonists were against paying taxes in any form, regardless of the source of that taxation. B) Britain had not enforced trade policies for a long time, and then began enforcing them to support the Seven Years' War. C) Parliament passed a law requiring all male colonists to join local militias to defend against the threat of Indian attacks. D) King George III forced the removal of Indians from their land, despite the wishes of the colonists and the British Parliament.
If the American colonies had remained a part of Britain, would the British have expanded as far west as America has done?
As Britain was the main enemy of both the French and Spanish, the peaceful purchase of the Louisiana Purchase wouldn’t have occurred, especially by Napoleon selling it to fund his war with Britain! Like French Canada though, Lousiana was minimally defended, taking the only port city at New Orleans and the tiny settlements at St. Louis and Detroit so Britain could likely take them, if the pirate captains Lafitte weren’t there to defend New Orleans in this alternate time line. Without the middle part of North America, particularly the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and the few other major, navigable rivers, westward expansion would have been via the Great Lakes and overland through Canada, the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, & Washington so Pacific Ports but mostly Hudson’s Bay & Northwest fur company trading posts with networks of locals like the Ojibwe and Cree doing the trapping. Canadian explorers like Antoine LaRoque, David Thompson, and Peter Skeene Ogden penetrated deep and early, we’d know their names instead of Lewis & Clark’s so British focus on California from a naval base around Seattle-Vancouver could have meant war out there. After the Napoleonic Wars Spain would have had a very hard time defending anything in the Americas the British wanted to take, especially as coastal port towns easily blockaded and invaded by the British Navy still constituted the key settlements anywhere in the Americas.Seizing and holding the Americas would be easier than the vastly and far more populated British Raj, South Africa-Transvaal-Rhodesia, Chinese ports, or especially far distant Australia and New Zealand. In a series of wars over the 19th Century it wouldn’t be surprising for Britain to end up with all of Spain’s colonial empire including the Philippines and South America.
Are Americans technically British since the colonists were British?
No. “British” refers to nationality. You are British if you are a citizen of the U.K. If an American has dual citizenship, being a citizen of both the U.K. and the US, then yes, they'd be considered British. However, while I don't have any stats, I doubt that that is the situation for the majority of Americans.An American can also be considered British if he or she is a descendant of British nationals, which may be the basis of your question.First of all, not all Americans are descendants of the colonists in North America. Many American families came to the United States fairly recently. Many are descendants of the Irish, Italian and Russian immigrants who migrated here in the 19th century. Many are descendants of African slaves. Many are descendants of Chinese immigrants, the first wave of which came to the United States during the mid to late 19th century to work in the construction of the country’s first railroads. Many are the descendants of the Mexicans who were incorporated into the United States after the Mexican-American War. And I haven’t even mentioned the Americans who come from—or whose parents come from—India, Greece, North Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South America, Central America, Palestine and other places all over the world. I can’t emphasize enough how diverse the backgrounds in America are. Again, I don’t have the stats, but I don’t think that most Americans are actually descendants of the North American colonists.Even if you are a descendant of British colonist in 18th century North America, that doesn’t automatically make you a British citizen. The Daughters of the American Revolution, for instance, are descended from British colonists, and I’m pretty sure they don’t consider themselves British. I know that I said you can be considered British if descended from British nationals, but I didn’t mean that far back.Or maybe the basis of the question is that since the founders of the country were former British subjects, that might make the citizens of the country today British. In that case, the answer is still no. Americans are not British unless they also have British citizenship or are the immediate descendants of British citizens. The colonists being British does not make Americans today British.
How common was it for American colonists to fight on the British side during the American Revolutionary War?
Very common. Loyalists in communities often out numbered rebels. It was in no way a popular uprising.About 16% of white colonists remained totally Loyal and joined the British Military a similar number declared themselves to be neutral and refused to support the rebels or the British but abided by the British Laws. About 12,000 African Americans and almost all of the Iroquois stayed loyal, many joining the British Military. Historians now agree that overall the rebels only enjoyed the support of 40–45% of the population. This resulted in mass emigration to Canada, Florida, Caribbean colonies, the UK and Sierra Leone which was established as an African colony for Loyalist African Americans at the end of the war. However many Loyalists stayed and endured the open persecution instigated by the new US.What is often overlooked or conveniently ignored are the Rebellions against the new US Government immediately after independence.Shay’s Rebellion (1786/7) centered in but not limited to Massachusetts was raised by Patriot veterans, many farmers, who returned home to face huge tax debts. As British taxation had been a reason for the War, they did not agree with the new congress imposing even higher taxes on those who had fought for Independence.The uprising was crushed by Continental Army troops killing many veterans and leaving many more destitute as properties and livestock were confiscated to pay outstanding tax bill.The Whiskey Rebellions in 1791 were another uprising over excessive tax demands. Washington ordered Army and State Militias to crush the protests in western Pennsylvania. The threat of military action was enough to dissuade further protests in the other states. Interestingly the congress passed the law allowing the military to attack “all enemies, external or internal” with no consultation with the population. This was seen as a direct attack on the second amendment at the time but nothing was done about it for fear of a military response.