Mostly wealthy because they owned they land most of the time
Though the explorers found none of the storied treasure, they did discover<span> the Grand Canyon and other major physical landmarks of the region, and clashed violently with local Indians</span>
The Enlightenment and the American Revolution changed the way people viewed their relationship to their rulers, mainly by opening each person's eyes, and undesrtand that their ruler's interest was not the best one. Contributed with the understanding that rationalism is more important than tradition and religion, which the monarchies around Europe often used in a way where it seemed acceptable that they were absolute monarchies, because of tradition.
