Throughout most of human history, commerce and government have been intricately linked, at least geographically. Hubs of trade and business have almost always also been the seats of government. As cities grew and flourished, as commerce grew and flourished, and as both expanded into surrounding areas, governance became necessary and, thus, inevitable. And as cities preceded “countries” or empires by decades, if not centuries, those cities that tended to fare the best at enduring and growing were also the ones that were most successful at enabling commerce, creating wealth, conquering neighbors and their lands, etc. All of which is to say that the governments of the richest and most productive cities evolved into regional governments and into imperial governments and national governments, etc. From Ur, the principal city of Sumer, to Jerusalem, the capital of ancient Israel; from Athens and Sparta, the leading cities of the most famous Greek leagues, to Rome, Constantinople, Paris, and London, centers of commerce have almost always been seats of government as well.
But not in the United States. Unlike almost anyplace else in the world, the United States was built differently. On the one hand, it was built consciously and purposefully, with suitability for commercial activity being the fundamental consideration in expansion. On the other hand, it was built accidentally and haphazardly, with governance being an afterthought, largely because it could be, because most governance was locally managed and that which wasn’t was managed thousands of miles away.
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