Bloody Brits...

[Rev. Rye]

So, apparently, Gawjira here was shocked that it apparently took 1693 for the wizarding community to go underground, when it's probably on the tail end of the big witch-hunt craze? I can understand that the American version would form in 1693, but somehow, I'm fairly certain the tipping point worldwide would have to be a hell of a lot longer ago.

Also, this appears to be supplemental material for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

If you remember, the United States did not exist before 1776 or there abouts. So MCUSA was named over eight years before the name existed. (This is why I never wanted to teach history.)

Of course, the colonies did exist, although presumably the name would have to have changed. Presumably, either JKR took that as granted (as I did), or, given that I know Mark Steel has talked about how his teachers summed up the whole history of the American revolution as "we gave America back", and she's five years younger than him, there's a distinct possibility that she didn't look that much into it.