I think early American settlers had a little extra moxie because there was excitement about how they were in a new world (to them, literally) and they were thin

I think early American settlers had a little extra moxie because there was excitement about how they were in a new world (to them, literally) and they were thinking big and creating something new. It used to be that every American was basically frontiersman or explorer that was pushing boundaries, but things settled down and now people are largely content and nestled in place.