Today when Americans travel up and down the eastern seaboard, they can recognize differences among the people. New England is still a land of a more uptight, prominent people with little diversity. There are still families who can trace their bloodlines back to Europe, England mainly. New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are all more laid back, more concerned with their own lives than noticing the flaws in others, and a very diverse group of people. Typically considered to be rude and not paying too much attention anybody except himself or herself, they seem to do what they have to do, and other than that - they do not care! The south is still very laid back, with fast food restaurants taking over an hour, and people who talk with slow southern drawls. Southeastern states tend to have a large black population, and white population, but not many other races; except for Miami, Florida! This is because this is primarily the way things have been for centuries. Although much has changed since 1776, and there is much more diversity in all regions, the main ideas of these regions have continued to remain close to their roots.
New England began as a Puritan colony. The Puritans came over from England in the early 1620s, to escape religious persecution. Believing in a purification of everything to be a saint, beginning their own colony seemed the perfect answer for Puritans. They had the perfect chance to start everything new and how they wished for it to be. The Puritans are considered to be a very harsh and extremist way of life and religion. They led very bare and minimal lives. Similar to the people under the rule of Afghanistan's Taliban now, dancing, music, games, long hair, colorful clothing, the nakedness of any skin in public, and the minimal pleasures in life were all banned and forbidden. Churches were the center of lives and towns, decorated with no more than a table, a lectern; churches held no heating units, despite the five or six hour long masses twice a week all residents were required to attend.