Development of an American national identify was a long and complex process. But keep in mind that many people who emigrated to America from Britain had good reasons for doing so and were glad to leave. Their identity as Britons began to diminish the minute they stepped off the boat. They clung very fiercely to the political identify as Britons abroad and insisted that they had the “rights of Englishmen.” But struggling to make a living in North America didn’t make them feel more English, only less.

People in the Thirteen Colonies very commonly identified as inhabitants of British North America and particularly as “loyal subjects of his Majesty on this continent.” But there was a growing divide between the Britain and the colonies, particularly as the mother country treated her children as sources of tax revenue rather than as loved ones. Once the French and Indian/Seven Years War was over, that process greatly accelerated. Some people described themselves as “British Americans.” Once independence was declared, most colonists put aside any vestiges of loyalty to the Crown and mother country and embraced their identity as Americans.

Culturally, America maintained strong links with the UK. But there was never any interest in returning to the Empire. When war flared again in 1812, even the British didn’t really think they could take America back.

Relations between the two countries today are as strong as they have ever been. So let’s just drink to that.