Don't forget that "they chose freedom" for a population of 2.5 million people[1]. That's less than Chicago or Nevada, today. The original thirteen colonies had a population density slightly lower than Wyoming.

The whole idea that the Founding Fathers had some perfect vision has always struck me as absurd. Even ignoring technological advances, the country now has more than 100x the population crammed into 9x the space. They made decisions for a country that is vastly different from what we have today.

[1] http://www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/war-amer...