The conditions that support progress are fragile, but by identifying and safeguarding them, we can break out of this historical cage. Can the United States, or any other country, break free of the cage of Cardwell’s Law and create an environment that fosters innovation indefinitely? While intended to describe whole societies, Cardwell’s Law scales down well to the level of individual urban centers. That is, unfortunately, because in the distant past, progress was often painfully slow—not because someone had cracked the code to break Cardwell’s Law. What causes the downfall of centers of progress, making Cardwell’s Law so seemingly prophetic?