Start with the real settlement
The Treaty of Paris, signed on 3 September 1783, recognised the independence of the United States. Read the National Archives transcript before imagining a different result.
Define a British victory
Does your scenario involve a military defeat of the revolutionary forces, a negotiated return to imperial authority or a political compromise reached earlier? These are different changes. Keeping colonies under British authority would not automatically make their inhabitants loyal.
Choose one turning point and show how it leads to a settlement. Explain who accepts the terms, who resists and what resources are required to enforce them.
Look beyond the negotiating table
Consider the position of Loyalists, supporters of independence, enslaved people and Native nations. Avoid giving every group the same interests or assuming that a British victory automatically produces emancipation or equality.
Your ending should address one practical issue: representation, taxation, land claims or rebuilding after war. Research the real arrangements before changing them.
Keep the scale manageable
Write a scene and a short explanation of its consequences over the next few years. A claim about the entire modern world needs many additional assumptions; acknowledge those rather than presenting them as inevitable.
Participation
This is an evergreen writing exercise. There is no active competition, deadline, judging panel, promised feedback or prize attached. Credit collaborators and distinguish evidence from invention.
Editorial review
Reviewed on 26 September 2026. Replaced unsupported global predictions and competition promises with a sourced, bounded counterfactual.