I would say A.) They were more interested in exploring the world around them.
Presidents are elected indirectly by electoral college.
The election of president and vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the 50 U.S. states or in Washington, D.C. cast ballots not directly for the candidates, but instead for members of the U.S. Electoral College, called electors. These electors cast direct votes, known as electoral votes, for president, and for vice president.
Because you need to win the electoral college, instead of the popular vote, a candidate usually tries to campaign in states with lot of electoral votes, and usually refrains from going to smaller states.
