while some of this is true-- and there are ruralism that are very old in US-- things that past out of common use in england years ago.. there is more...
A bit more of US history– isolation is part of the story– but so is immigration. Some (most) colonies where set up with two purposes, as a haven for religious dissenters– Puritans,(and the like) who held that the Anglican church hadn't gone far enough in reformations (and indeed it hadn't– the roman catholic church has curious relation with the Anglicans.. )
What both had in common was that bishops and higher were treated as nobility. Puritan held that all men were noble, and all could aspire to wealth.
So American colonies were commercial enterprise– (lots of sailors needed!) And religious centers. And immigration started pretty early..
NY (new Amsterdam) was unique in that it was from 1650 (1653) just a commercial enterprise. (First date is the date of the decision in Holland, second, when it got back to NY as law... ) but even before that,Portuguese jews had set up the first temple in americas--in Rhode Island--not exactly the most religiously open settlement..
So while NY (New Amsterdam) had some what of a mixture before 1650, after, it was an open town– all comers welcome. And the local population before war for independence included Turks, Arabs, Greeks and Albanians. As well as northern europeans; English, German, French, Scandinavians, Scotch and Irish and needless to say the Dutch!
Pennsylvania, was pretty open too, it was officially a Quaker settlement, and the local government supported the church– but it was much more open to other religions and sects– and attracted from very early on, German immigration. (Pennsylvania Dutch as they are commonly called. –Bobyoung can tell us more..,) but in Maryland, a catholic colony, french Catholics were welcome. .Even New England welcomed some french– my kids, through their father go back to Rochelle– french huguenots who escaped to religious freedom in Massachuset. (Early enough in the scope of things that they also trace their roots to Mayflower. ) The puritan didn't always like other sects, but they hated Romanism so much it was a case of my enemy's enemy is my friend.
So from a fairly early date, US colonies interacted with Portuguese (slave traders) and the french–remember, while in Europe France and England were at war, here we were forging our own alliances with the french. (against native Americans) And alliances with the Dutch in NY, and the Spanish.. Not that the french didn't change sides later– French and Indian war...
Early US trade triangle was molasses, for rum, for slaves.. It stayed under the radar– that is, unlike our trade with england (rice, and cotton and tobacco) this trade was largely untaxed. Our trading partners were Portugal, or Spain or France... or rather their colonies.
All this effected our English. The same tv show referred too, (History of English) pointed out, that at the time of WWI, 90% of population of England lived with 10 miles of where they were born. Not true this side of the Atlantic..
