Tom
When you start drawing Social Security in a few years and can afford it, perhaps you'll do a Mucci and buy me that MacDonald guy's book. Sounds interesting.
Until then, let me posit the following:
1. Most Americans, having arrived across the pond mostly because they were scum and/or owned nothing in Europe, developed an rapacious lust for the abundant land that was here (and only nominally "owned" by the Native Americans......)
2. Once having acquired land (and having seen how it could be easily confiscated in their old countries), Americans tried their damnedest to hold onto it.
3. Because of the abundance of acreage, the concept of "common" land was largely irrelevant.
4. Without the concept of "common" land, there could be no concept of a "club" based on common residence and common ownership.
5. So, "clubs" developed on pieces of land that were owned or acquired by individuals, rather than communities, and were developed for the benefit of those indivuiduals, rather than communities.
Of course, it was probably very different in the GAP region.....