What were the most important aspects of colonial society that enabled it to mature?

The society of the British colonies in North America was
able to mature because it had a large number of colonists who were isolated from their
mother country to a large degree.

To mature, a colonial
society needs to be big.  There need to be enough colonists to be able to create their
own society that is independent of that of the mother country.  If the society is small,
it will depend on the mother country for all of the "finer things" in life.  It will
simply try to mimic the mother country.  A larger society has enough people to make its
own way.

The society also needs to be isolated to some
degree.  If it is easy to keep in close contact with the mother country, there will not
be a feeling of separation from that country.  It will be easy to continue to rely on
the mother country for everything.  This will hinder the maturation process in the
society.

Because the English colonies were heavily
populated and were distant from the mother country, they were able to
mature.