I'm just thinking out loud here, so this will be a bit nonsensical. Anyways, I'm wondering if the division of the states, particularly the Western ones, represents a sort of gerrymandering.
As I understand it, many Western states were set within arbitrary boundaries that didn't reflect natural geographical divisions (rivers, mountain ranges) or demographic groupings. The thirteen colonies have this to a degree with their non-linear boundaries and their religious tendencies.
Many Western states were "rushed" into existence as soon as the requisite number of people got out there. The politics of free/slave states rushed this along in some regard. Ergo, I ask whether or not these states represent proper units of our federal government
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