Why Did America Invade Canada At The Start Of The Revolutionary War?

The forgotten invasion of Quebec

(Public domain)

Just weeks after the famous Battles of Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775, American revolutionaries turned their attention northward toward Canada. Over a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, the Americans were salivating over the idea of invading vast Canadian territories to the north. Instead of hitting British positions in strategically important places around Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, American military planners wanted to commit their meager forces to an offensive against cities hundreds of miles away from the colonial heartland.

These plans came to fruition in a disastrous and oft-forgotten campaign against Quebec that began in the summer of 1775. An American army was dispatched to march through the territory of Quebec and lay siege to Quebec City. The Americans committed valuable resources to the campaign, including manpower, firepower, and some of their best generals.

This raises an obvious question. Why did the American revolutionaries want to target Quebec so early in their rebellion? Why did they commit so many of their resources to this endeavor? What gain would the Americans have netted from capturing Quebec? Why is this campaign wholly passed over in the frequent…